Possibilities
by the gifted one
Summary: Is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time? To love them the same way but also differently. This is the situation Taylor has found herself in, even despite her best efforts. Follow along through her very difficult life choices. Traylor
1. Chapter 1

_Here is a story that is very different from anything I have ever written on fanfiction. Please give it a chance. I thought it would be kind of interesting to see where this story goes as it progresses. Please leave plenty of reviews! Praises and critiques are very welcomed. _

_**Possibilities **_

Is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time? To feel an overwhelming nostalgia, for each person separately, and know that there is nothing that you could ever do to feel differently about either one of them. Feeling elated when the person is in close proximity to me, or whispering sweet nothings in my ear. Holding me close to them at night and feeling their heart beat against my back, or wiping my tears away and consoling me when the world sucks, as it tends to do often.

I never in a million years would have thought that this would be possible, but some how, something very innocent manifested its way into something very dangerous, and I can't stop. I love them both; I have to have them both. I can't choose, and deep down inside I don't want to.

I know when they find out about one another, everything is going to be a disaster and I probably will end up alone, broken hearted. So why not enjoy the ride now? Right? Why not do what makes me feel good, consequences be damned? I say this to myself hoping upon hope that it will make me feel better, but every time one of them leaves, the guilt eats away at me until I'm literally in physical pain.

I find myself in this very situation tonight. Awake in the early morning hours, his arm wrapped around me, and thinking the same thoughts I always do. _'How did I get myself into this situation, and how am I gonna get out of it'._

"Taylor are you up?" he whispered.

"Yeah Troy, I'm up….just thinking".

"What could you possibly be thinking about four o'clock in the morning" asked Troy checking his watch and yawning.

"It's not important" said Taylor kissing Troy on top of his forehead. "Why don't you go back to sleep, you have to be up in an hour" said Taylor.

"Well it has to be important if it's keeping you up like this" said Troy pressing the issue.

"Look, can you just drop it……for me" asked Taylor, giving him her best puppy dog eyes.

Troy could never resist Taylor's puppy dog face. It drove him crazy but he always ended up giving in and letting her have her way. "Alright, I'll drop it for now, only because I really want to kiss you" he said pulling Taylor close to him and engaging her in a passionate kiss.

The two started kissing more deeply as time went on. Taylor felt Troy's hand on her thigh while his other hand was caressing her breast. She started to moan aloud with pleasure. "Shhh Tay, before we get caught" whispered Troy kissing her in her spot. Before either one knew what was happening they ended up making love, for which seemed like the forth time that night. Troy was like a strong drug to her, no matter how much she tried to resist him, all he had to do was kiss her and they were right back in the place they both tried to avoid, in each other's bed.

"Taylor, your skin is so soft" moaned Troy, climbing off of her, and pulling her close to him. He started rubbing her back and placing small kisses on her face and neck.

"Troy, I swear you spoil me with your sweet talk" said Taylor. "You're going to be the end of me".

"And you the end of me my love, but I wouldn't have it any other way" he said kissing her lips.

"If you could have it any other way, would you?" asked Taylor stopping the kiss.

"What do you mean by that Tay?" said Troy releasing her and looking up at the ceiling.

"You know what I mean Troy" she said sternly. "If you could be with me, and only me, would you?" she asked.

There was an awkward silence. It seemed to happen of late, that any time they had one of their passionate love making sessions; it always ended up in an argument about the same thing, Taylor asking Troy to break up with Gabriella, and be with her, only her. She knew how to get to him, and she used it to her advantage any chance she had. Besides it relinquished some of the guilt she felt inside for doing the same thing he was, being with two people at the same time.

The awkward silence continued and Taylor had, had enough of this bull for one night. "You don't even love her Troy" she spat out at him while getting out of bed in search of her clothes. "Get your clothes on and get out before my dad wakes up for work and sees you" she said angrily.

"Taylor" said Troy.

"Troy I mean it this time, leave".

"Taylor it's complicated and you know it" said Troy trying to keep his temper under control.

"I don't care if it's complicated, you are the one that needs to fix it" she said to him quietly. "I did my part, I broke it off with Chad, and yet you still haven't dumped her. I'm tired of this shit Troy; I'm tired of being taken advantage of".

"I'm not taking advantage of you Taylor" said Troy getting out of bed. He walked over to her and pressed his body against hers.

"Yes you are!" she said quietly pushing him away. "I'm good enough for you to fuck, but not good enough for you to be seen in public with. Hurry up get your clothes on and get out. Come talk to me when you have finally made up your mind!" she said throwing his clothes to him. She walked out of her bedroom and down the stairs before he had a chance to answer. It was their usual routine that she would sneak him out of the house, before her dad woke up. She was standing by the front door, when he was dressed, holding it open ready for him to leave.

Troy went and stood right in front of her, "So you're not gonna let me explain anything" he asked.

"Troy there's nothing to explain. I'll see you when I see you" she said holding her hand in the direction of the front porch. Troy took it as his cue to leave, he placed a small kiss on top her forehead, even though she tried to turn away. "Alright Taylor, I'll will try". He walked outside and down the street towards his house trying to figure out what his next move would be.

Taylor closed the door and immediately felt a wave of guilt. She knew she was wrong for making him feel that way, but it was easier for her to direct her pain on to someone else, than deal with the fact that she had to make the same situation; Troy or my other love. Like he said, _'It's complicated'_ she thought to herself, as a few tears slid down her cheeks.

Taylor got herself ready for school in record time. She figured if she got there early she wouldn't have to be bothered by seeing Troy and Gabriella together in school, acting like the perfect couple, when she knew it wasn't the truth.

Once at school, she headed straight for the science lab to study and do the homework she didn't do the night before…. _'because of Troy and my lack of will power' _she thought to herself. She walked straight into the lab and groaned soon as she entered the room. There was Troy sitting in her seat obviously waiting for her to arrive. She hated that he knew her so well.

"Bolton, I thought I told you to leave me alone" said Taylor.

"Well McKessie, after the last conversation we had, which really wasn't a conversation at all because you didn't allow me to speak, I figured, how could this day get any worse" he said.

"Arghhh! You are so exasperating".

"Yeah well, I guess that is how I am when I become frustrated. Look Taylor, I owe you an explanation, what I'm asking for is a chance for you to let me be totally honest with you" he said.

Taylor looked directly into Troy's eyes. She could never resist his gorgeous baby blues. "Fine Troy, say what you have to say".

"Tay, I have been falling in love with you for quite sometime now. I've accepted that and I'm totally fine with it. I have even accepted the fact that Gabriella was definitely not the 'one', like I thought she was. When we first started getting close, I didn't expect for things to go so fast. First we were just having really intimate talks in private, than we started kissing and making out, before I knew it we were making love, with no thought of the consequences and what it would do to our relationships. We knew we were wrong for cheating and that's why we decided to break up with our significant others."

"Yeah, yeah Troy, we've been through this before. That's why I broke it off with Chad, but some how you never got around to breaking up with Gabriella" said Taylor impatiently.

"I almost did Taylor" he said quietly.

"Yeah right Troy. You're full of bunk, you just wanted your cake and you wanted to eat it too" said Taylor angrily.

"Taylor, I found out that Gabriella was cheating on me" he said looking Taylor straight into her eyes.

"Wh….what".

"She was and still is cheating on me" said Troy a little more agitated.

Taylor started to pace around the lab a little. Troy watched as she walked around the room, thinking really hard. "Do you have anything to say?" asked Troy.

"I'm in shock Troy….I never thought Gabriella would do something like this" said Taylor crossing her arms over her chest. "But honestly Troy, were doing the same thing".

"Yes we are".

"So why are you so upset? You two have been growing apart for months" said Taylor.

"That's just it Tay! Remember I came to you trying to figure out what was going on between Gabby and me" asked Troy.

"Yeah…..but that was months ago Troy" said Taylor.

"That's just it! She's been cheating on me for months….plural Taylor. Months! You and I just became sexually intimate a couple of weeks ago! She's been screwing another dude months ago!" yelled Troy.

"Troy I'm sorry that she hurt you, but why are you still with her….dump her already, that way we both can stop feeling guilty for cheating, and you can stop being angry at her….especially when you are doing the same thing" said Taylor.

"I want to Taylor, I really want to. But I have to find out who this other dude is, I have to find out the reason why she would give up on our relationship, and I believe this guy holds all of the answers" said Troy.

"Why is it so important? Why can't you just let bygones be bygones, and let it go Troy?" asked Taylor.

"Because I feel like I've been played….I feel like a total loser. I feel like both Gabriella and this guy are laughing at my stupidity from afar. I want Gabriella to feel the exact same pain she caused me, I want her to know that when she wasn't looking or paying attention, I fell in love with her best friend, and what you and I share Taylor is a hundred times more better than anything she and I shared, or what she is sharing with that other dude" said Troy becoming flustered.

Taylor just stared at Troy. She honestly didn't know what to say, her genius couldn't help Troy out in this situation.

"I have one question Troy".

"Shoot" he said quietly.

"Did you only become close to me, because you wanted to get back at her? Did you have sex with me, just to hurt Gabriella?" asked Taylor while her voice trembled slightly.

"Taylor no, absolutely not!" said Troy crossing the room and quickly embracing Taylor into a hug. "What happened between us was so unexpected. Like I said before it happened so quickly, I never thought I could feel like loving somebody again, and you proved me wrong McKessie. I don't regret anything that has happened between us, and I hope you don't either. I love you Taylor, I never want to hurt you. You have to believe me" pleaded Troy.

"I believe you Troy, I'm just still a little apprehensive. I don't want to be used as a pawn in your little game" she said sternly.

"All I'm asking for is a little time, time to break up with her and time to fully get over her. Then you and I can start our relationship fresh. I don't want to keep hurting you Taylor, I just want you to understand where I'm coming from" said Troy.

Taylor took a deep breath and sighed. She knew she was setting herself up for failure but she just couldn't resist this boy. "Okay Bolton….I'll give you the time you need".

Troy grabbed Taylor into a deep kiss, which was "Thank You" enough for Taylor. "Look I have to go the gym this morning, you think we can hook up later, maybe watch a movie or something" he asked.

"Sure, now get outta here. I have to finish my homework" said Taylor.

"Alright, I'll see you later" he said giving her one last kiss and heading towards the door.

Once she knew Troy was gone for good, she finally settled down enough to get her homework done. She was almost complete when she heard the science lab door open. She looked up and a huge smile crossed her face.

"Good morning".

"Good morning to you Taylor. You look awfully radiant this morning".

"Why thank you. I guess it was because I saw your beautiful face" replied Taylor.

"Um…I guess that is reason enough to be happy" said Gabriella. She walked over to Taylor, grabbed her face and passionately kissed her. Taylor deepened her kiss as she put her arms around Gabriella's waist.

"I've missed you so much" moaned Gabriella as Taylor kissed her neck.

"I've missed you also" Taylor said between kisses. In the back of her mind she knew she was wrong…. '_but why not enjoy the ride'_ she thought to herself as she kissed Gabriella on the lips one more time.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hey guys, thanks again for the reviews. Like I said before I have never written anything like this before, so this is kinda new to me. I hope you keep up with the reviews and follow me along on this new journey. I don't own anything._

**Reckless**

Taylor kissed Gabriella one more time before the morning bell rang out to signal the start of the day, she pulled away but Gabriella not wanting their make-out session to end so quickly tightened her grip around Taylor's waist.

"You know we are getting sloppy" said Taylor standing up and loosening Gabriella's grip from around her. She walked over to a computer where she could see her reflection and started to straighten out her clothes.

Gabriella sighed heavily. "I know, but I have missed you so much. It's like we don't have time to be together anymore", replied Gabriella as she took a mirror out of her purse and checked to see if she had any visible passion marks. "These past two weeks have been crazy. I've been busy during the day, and only God knows what you have been busy doing during the evenings".

'_If you only knew'_ thought Taylor to herself. She gathered her books and waited for Gabriella by the door. "Look I know it has been hit or miss lately, but we can't have public make out sessions. It's either my place or yours, you don't want to break up with Troy yet and you don't want anybody to know about us, so we have to be careful" said Taylor.

"Can we not start with that again? Taylor this discussion is getting old" said Gabriella a little agitated.

"How is discussing our future getting old Gabriella? Right now we are at a cross roads. You want to be with me but you don't want to hurt Troy, but the longer you wait to tell him about us, the more it's gonna hurt him" replied Taylor. _'Here I go again, making her out to be the bad person, when it's really me who is wrong' _she thought. "And besides even if you did break up with Troy, we still would be hiding out at your place because you don't want any body to know that we're gay" said Taylor.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Taylor I said I didn't want to talk about that, this morning" Gabriella replied through clenched teeth.

"Why?" said Taylor. "This has to be resolved some how. You have to accept the predicament we are in. You are in love with your best friend, who happens to be a girl. C'mon Gabriella when are you going to accept the fact that we like kissing each other and holding each other after we make love. When are you going to accept who and what we are? When are you just gonna accept me and only me?" said Taylor quietly looking directly into Gabriella's eyes.

"You know I was really excited about seeing you this morning, but right now I really don't feel like being in the same room with you!" she said, grabbing her books and walking out of the room without bothering to say goodbye. Gabriella hated when Taylor tried to label her as something, trying to force her to make a decision between her or Troy. _'Can't she see that I'm still trying to figure out who I am, that I'm trying to figure out what to do?' _thought Gabriella as she walked to her locker to get situated for the day.

"Damn it" said Taylor quietly, as she watched Gabriella walk down the hall. _'Can I screw my life up any more than it already is?'_ she thought to herself. Taylor decided she couldn't leave things the way they were. She headed for Gabriella's locker knowing the brunette would be there waiting for Troy like she did every morning.

Taylor reached Gabriella's locker pretty quickly, considering the halls were filling up fast, with the East High Wildcat student population. "Gabriella" said Taylor quietly, walking up behind her.

Gabriella knew Taylor was there, without even having to turn around to see her. She smelled her vanilla scented perfume behind her before Taylor even spoke. She loved the way Taylor smelled and the way her skin felt against hers. "What is it Tay, we are in a very public place…remember" said Gabriella quietly without turning around to face her.

Taylor walked to the right side of Gabriella and whispered, "I just wanted to apologize. I'm sorry for making you upset this morning, and if you give me a chance I promise I will make it up to you….tonight" said Taylor very quickly. She was weary about anybody hearing her, she couldn't afford for them to get busted by some random nosey person. "Please accept my apology" whispered Taylor.

Gabriella closed her locker and faced Taylor, "I do" she said even softer than Taylor. "I'll be looking forward to how you are gonna make it up to me" smiled Gabriella, just as she saw Troy walking around the corner coming to meet her by her locker. "Hey Troy" she said sweetly. Their private conversation was over in an instant.

"Hey babe" he responded while bending down and giving her a peck on the cheek. He put his arm around her shoulders as he shook hands with another guy in the hall way.

"Hey what up McKessie" he said nonchalantly addressing Taylor, while grabbing Gabriella's book bag while, the trio walked down the hall to homeroom. On the outside they looked like a group of friends but only Taylor knew the whole truth. All three of them could honestly win Academy Awards for the daily performances they put up.

"Nothing much Troy, how have you been" she said, just as nonchalantly.

"Pretty cool, just getting ready for the game" he replied. "You guys are coming right, this is gonna be a good one. I have to have the best two ladies at East High cheering for me" he said addressing both Gabriella and Taylor. Gabriella giggled while he looked at Taylor with his baby blues and winked at her. She couldn't help but to blush slightly hoping Gabriella didn't notice.

"Uh, I don't know Troy, Taylor and I have to get ready for the science festival this weekend. We might be studying all night" said Gabriella as they walked into homeroom.

Ms. Darbus was in the front of the class, looking like she was preparing one of her many overly dramatic speeches about the performance arts.

"Ah man, this is the first time I have heard of this" said Troy a little aggressively. He wasn't angry that they weren't going to be at the game, he was bothered by the fact that he was gonna miss his night to be with Taylor. He looked forward to their evenings alone together. Of course they made love, but he loved the fact that they could just talk for hours and connect on a deeper level…. _'Accompanied by us making love'_ he thought to himself, fighting the sudden urge to smile.

"Troy I told you about the festival weeks ago. Taylor and I haven't been able to fully prepare, because we both been busy" said Gabriella.

'_Yeah busy cheating on me'_ thought Troy to himself. "Alright, I guess you ladies will have to see us some other time" said Troy a little disappointed. He placed Gabriella's books at her desk in the back of the room and he went to go take his seat in front of his best friend Chad. He really wanted to talk to Taylor but he had to play it cool, so instead he decided to talk to Chad.

Even though Taylor and Chad had broken up some time ago, she still had to sit in back of him in homeroom each day. They barely talked to one another because she dumped him right after the first time she slept with Troy. Chad's ego and pride was hurt more than anything else. She looked all around the classroom, _'Talk about uncomfortable situations. I have slept with all three of them of them, and neither of them even knows it' _Taylor thought to herself, _'Gosh, I must really be a horrible person, not to mention a hoe' _she thought to herself.

The guilt was eating at her again, so she decided to concentrate on what made her feel good and always drove the guilty feeling away from the pit of her stomach. She chanced a glance back at Gabriella, who was writing something down in her notebook. Gabriella felt a pair of eyes on her and she looked up quickly, locking eyes with Taylor immediately. She smiled sweetly and quickly puckered her lips as if to give Taylor an air kiss. Taylor looked up at Troy to make sure he was still being entertained by Chad, turned back around and sent a quick air kiss back to Gabriella, who continued to smile a little more seductively. _'Here we go again being reckless'_ thought Taylor but at the moment she could care less.

Ms. Darbus got up in front of the class and called everyone to attention. There was an immediate hush over the homeroom class as Ms. Darbus read off all of the announcements for upcoming extra credit activities and school events. Taylor took this time to let her mind wander into how to fix this growing between her, Troy, and Gabriella. _'I just have to break it off with one of them...but which one. How can I choose between the two, I love Troy's boyish smile and his beautiful eyes, and I love Gabriella's smile and the way her eyes brighten when she sees me. What am I going to do?'_

Taylor completely ignored Ms. Darbus for the rest of homeroom. Being in close proximity to the both of her lovers was not making the decision any easier on her. The bell finally rang signaling the start of first period, which Taylor was glad for because she didn't have either Troy or Gabriella in her first period class. While she gathered her things to leave, she felt Gabriella brush her arm really quickly and wave goodbye. Taylor gave her a strained smile and wave back.

Troy grabbed Gabriella and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you later" Taylor heard Troy say to Gabriella, Taylor instantly felt a twinge of jealousy. She got up to leave, and she felt Troy right on her back. She glanced back and saw him tilt his head to the left signaling that he wanted to see her quickly before they went to their next class.

She turned around inconspicuously and walked behind Troy. Not noticing the pair of eyes following her. Taylor saw Troy dip into the nearest janitor closet. She waited a few seconds before she went in after him hoping nobody they knew saw either one of them enter the closet. As soon as she walked in Troy engulfed her with his arms and crashed his lips against hers. She responded to him, knowing full well they had all of two minutes to get to class before they were late.

Troy broke away first after a few seconds. "I just had to kiss you, since I won't be able to see you tonight" he said out of breath.

"I'm sorry Troy, I totally forgot about the science festival. I wouldn't have made plans with you if I had remembered, but I have kinda been preoccupied as of late with other things" said Taylor leaning into Troy and giving him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Alright my love, I guess I will have to give you a break…just this once" he said giving her a quick hug. He looked down at his watch, "We have about 45 seconds to get to class" he said. Taylor went to the door and peaked out to make sure the coast was clear. Once she gave the signal they both walked out of the janitor's closet, Troy went left and she went right. She started to speed walk when she suddenly heard her name, "Taylor!"

She turned around and saw Troy standing with his arms open wide. "This much!" he said down the hall. She laughed and did the exact same thing. "Right back at you!" she replied. That was the only way they could tell each other how much they loved one another. Troy took off and ran around the corner; Taylor knew she wasn't going to make it to class in time, so she didn't even bother with running.

'_Every time I think I have chosen the one to let go, they go and do something that makes me change my mind'._ Taylor walked into class and took her seat.

"Ms. McKessie nice of you to join us" said her teacher, Mr. Johnson.

"Sorry Mr. Johnson, I really had to use the bathroom" she said lying smoothly. She lied so much, it had become second nature to her.

"That is fine, just try not to let it happen again" he said, turning to the board.

Taylor took out her notebook, pencil, and English IV text book. She bent down to get something out of her purse. When she sat back up straight, she noticed that a letter was on top of her notebook that wasn't there before. It had her name on it but it didn't say who it was from. Perplexed she opened it quickly and read it to her self.

"**You know you should really be more careful about what you do in this school building. If I can figure out your secret….than so can they."**

She shot her face straight up, and started to look around the room nervously. How could someone have figured out her most precious secret? Not only did they know about her sleeping with both Gabriella and Troy, but they knew that Gabriella and Troy didn't know that was cheating on them with each other.

Taylor continued to look around trying to find out who put that letter on her desk. They had to be in this class because she was the last one that came into the room.

"Ms. McKessie, you haven't started on your drill yet?" questioned Mr. Johnson.

"I'm sorry sir. I'm getting right on it now" said Taylor nervously. She chanced a glance around the room again, when she locked eyes on the person she knew put the letter on her desk. _'Damn'_ she thought.


	3. Chapter 3

_Thank you guys for the reviews! I know I put up the same chapter twice, but when I updated my story it never showed up on the first pages of the HSM board. I was a little upset but, I got over it. Any way, I'm glad that you guys are getting into the characters of this story, and not how they are suppose to be from the films. Here is chapter 3, hope you guys enjoy._

**Decisions**

Taylor couldn't concentrate on her classwork during this period. The knowledge that her secret was known by more than her, was eating her up inside. She nervously shook her leg while watching the clock, anticipating the ringing of the bell. _'How did he find out'_ she kept asking herself over and over again.

'_No matter how he found out, I just have to make sure he keeps my secret from both Gabriella and Troy'_ she thought as the bell finally rang to let the students out.

She packed up her belongings quickly and hurried out of the room. Stopping on the right side of the door, she waited as her current secret keeper took his time walking out of the classroom.

He knew she would be waiting for him, but he wanted to handle this situation correctly and as delicately as possible. He knew a thing or two about secrets himself, and he knew how hard it must be for Taylor holding all of this stuff inside, without an outlet. That was his only reasoning in writing the note in the first place. He took his time walking out of the door, carefully looking around he saw her standing nervously by the door waiting for his arrival.

"We need to talk" she said immediately upon his appearance.

"Not here out in the open McKessie. I don't think that would be to wise" he said with a slight smirk on his face.

"This isn't funny….".

He held up his hand to silence her. "It's not meant to be funny but I think it's important for us to be in an environment where we can talk freely" he said strongly.

"Fine!" she said angrily. "When and where?"

"How about the library during free period, it will be intimate enough so that you can ask me any question you like and vice versa" he said quietly.

"Fine….I guess I will see you then. And don't flake out on me" she said poking him in his chest.

"Trust me…I'm not," he said pushing her hand away from him. Believe it or not, I'm taking this seriously, because the fact of the matter is if you don't stop what you're doing, somebody is gonna get hurt…..and bad. Because that's what secrets and lies do" he said a little angrily himself.

He turned on his foot and headed for the lunch room not bothering to look back at her. She watched him walk away and mentally kicked herself, _'How did I ever get myself into this. Yeah, yeah I know….from enjoying the ride'_ she thought to herself. She had never seen him that mad since she had been at East High.

Come to think of it, she had noticed in the back of her mind that he had quietly matured somehow in the past three months. What had changed him so much; he definitely wasn't the nice guy she remembered him to be? Or maybe he was, but she was so caught up in her own drama to really notice.

Taylor didn't feel like eating, she had too much on her mind, so she decided to wait in the library for the impending doom she felt in the pit of her stomach. Walking into the library, she found a perfect spot at one of the tables in the history section. It was secluded enough so they could both have a private conversation but it was open enough so that he could see her when he walked into the library.

Taylor stared off into the distance, she kept asking herself how had everything gotten so out of control, but she knew when it started, and she knew that all the blame was on her.

* * *

_It was a normal night in the room of Gabriella Montez. It was unbelievably cold outside and she was sitting on her bed with her best friend study for their upcoming calculus test. Taking a sip of the hot chocolate her mother had made them, Gabriella slammed her book shut in frustration. _

"_I'm tired of studying. Let's take a break" she said._

"_Sounds good to me, my eyes were starting to hurt anyway" yawned Taylor. She stood up and stretched out her limbs, while Gabriella searched for the remote and turned on her flat screen television._

"_What are the boys up to tonight?" asked Taylor, laying across the bed, while Gabriella grabbed one of her stuffed animals and clutched it to her body._

"_Uh, there at the court doing extra practices" said Gabriella nonchalantly. "Didn't you talk to Chad?"_

"_Nope, not really" said Taylor._

"_Tay, what's going on between you and Chad? You use to love being around him and now, it's like if you don't talk or see him, it's okay with you" said Gabriella concernedly._

"_So you've noticed" said Taylor sitting up. She faced her best friend, ready to spill her guts. Gabriella sensing it was one of those moments between sisters turned down the t.v. so they could have a serious talk. "I'm starting to regret ever dating Chad" said Taylor candidly. _

"_What?!" said Gabriella. "What do you mean; I thought you really liked him"._

"_I do…I mean I did. Chad just isn't who I thought he was and our relationship hasn't turned out like I thought it would…like I think we moved way to fast. Sometimes I felt that Chad was trying to compete with you and Troy with our relationship" said Taylor sadly._

"_Seriously?! What would make you think that?" asked Gabriella._

"_Like Chad has always been second in command to Troy, and he always loved that position, but he looks at it like it's his duty sometimes instead of just being a best friend, or a good basketball player, or just a good boyfriend. I mean Troy treats you like a queen Gabriella, and sometimes Chad had those moments with me but most times, it was a duty. If he couldn't have the hottest girl that East High had to offer, than he had to have the second best…and he always treated me that way…second best" said Taylor looking very sad._

"_Wow Taylor that is…that's really deep. I never knew you felt that way…I mean when did this start, when did you start feeling this way?" asked Gabriella._

"_It has always been there nagging at me from the beginning of our relationship. But I was just so excited that somebody as popular as Chad would ask me, you know the book worm, out that I just chalked it up to me being nervous about my first relationship. But as time went on, I noticed that I was more of a possession, you know an object to make him look good something that would balance out the Troy and Gabriella dynamic"._

_There was an awkward silence between the two. "Do you really look at me and Troy as the ultimate relationship? I mean because Taylor, we're really not trying to be…we have our problems too" said Gabriella quietly._

"_I know you're not trying to be Gabriella…I didn't mean to offend you, but I think what you and Troy have is so awesome; you can tell that you really care for one another. I have just never experienced that with Chad, and it always made me kinda jealous. I mean I tried to experience that type of love with him, and that's part of the reason I think we moved to fast. I just really regret dating him" she said quietly._

"_You regret…everything. Even him being your first" asked Gabriella quietly._

"_Especially him being my first" she said fighting the tears back._

"_But you said that night was so special" said Gabriella with her mouth slightly ajar._

"_Yeah __**that**__ night was special, but that is the only night for us that has been special when it comes to sex. Ever since then, it just feels like sex has been some chore. Like he has to have it even when I don't want to, and when we do it, it's just sex, not love making. There isn't any caressing or cuddling, it's just sex. It's the same when Chad and I kiss, I don't feel anything. No passion, no intimacy, no love, nothing. I'm starting to feel disgusted from just trying to be with him" said Taylor, while her eyes were out of focus. "I guess that's what I get for giving in so easily" she said more to herself than to Gabriella._

"_Taylor oh my gosh" said Gabriella pulling her into a tight embrace. She hated the fact that Chad didn't treat her like the queen she was and she deserved so much more than to be someone's prize. Gabriella always had a hard time verbalizing her true emotions, so the she just held her best friend tightly and rubbed her back in a soothing way, hoping that Taylor would understand how much she cared for her._

_Taylor took comfort in knowing that her best friend would always be there for her and she laid her head on Gabriella's shoulder. The two remained quiet as Gabriella rocked her slowly, making both of them feel very comfortable. Taylor broke away from the embrace and thanked Gabriella for being her best friend. She rubbed the side of Gabriella's arm slightly. There was a silence between the two that had always happened before but neither girl ever thought too much about it. Gabriella closed her eyes, as Taylor continued to rub the side of her arm and a soft and loving way. And than the unthinkable happened…_

_Gabriella felt a pair of soft lips on her own. She responded to the unexpected kiss and than pulled away immediately, shock all over her face._

"_Gabriella I am so sorry" said Taylor getting up quickly and heading for the door. "I don't know what I was thinking…I'm really, really sorry" she said rushing back into the room to grab her forgotten things._

"_Taylor wait!" yelled Gabriella._

"_I think I should just be going" said Taylor rushing to the door once again. "I'm really late getting home, my mom is gonna kill me"._

"_Taylor!" yelled Gabriella, while turning her around, "I said wait". Gabriella moved her head in closer to Taylor's and kissed her really softly. Taylor finally felt the feeling she had been longing for, true tenderness and true intimacy. Taylor responded by deepening the kiss and Gabriella wrapped her arms around her body, beckoning for Taylor to get closer. They continued to kiss one another with light and deliberate kisses, their making out session would not be ruined by uncontrollable passion, but with a tenderness that Gabriella only experienced with Troy and Taylor had never experienced with anyone._

_The odd pair continued to kiss right there in the middle of Gabriella's room, as the wind howled outside, both feeling an odd sense of comfort and peace._

* * *

"So how did you guys end up stopping?" asked Zeke.

Taylor had found herself recounting the story of her and Gabriella's first kiss during free period in the library in front of the person who found out her most embarrassing secret. "Her phone rang and we stopped. It was like we were in a trance, and the phone broke us out of it".

"Who was calling?" he asked.

"Troy" said Taylor quietly. "I just left, and neither one of us talked about what happened for weeks, but than one night she showed up at my door, and we started kissing again, just like we never had an intermission from the previous kiss".

"It sounds to me as if you and Gabriella really care for one another, might I even say love one another" said Zeke.

"Yeah I guess you can say that" said Taylor quietly, while she looked as if she was in a daze.

"Than why start messing with Troy?" asked Zeke.

"Well, Gabriella and I had been messing around for some time, and I was kinda pressuring her to define our relationship. Were we girlfriends or were we just friends with benefits. She was pulling away from Troy and I had already left Chad…at least in theory. Chad and I barely talked to one another; we were just waiting for which one of us was going to do the dumping. Anyway, Gabriella and I got into a huge argument when I dropped her home from school one day and she told me it was over, which hurt beyond belief, basically she barely wanted us to be friends let alone lovers. Not only did she get in an argument with me but she got into it with Troy, and that same night Troy ends up at my front door asking me what's going on with Gabriella".

Zeke just shook his head in understanding.

"Of course I lied to him and told him I didn't know anything…and he just broke down in front of me. He said he felt like he was losing her, and he didn't even know what he did wrong. I felt so guilty that I couldn't even talk…I just watched him spill his guts out and listened silently. Next thing I know we were kissing, I knew he only kissed me because he was in pain, but so was I. Besides I felt that tenderness from him that I felt when I kissed and made love with Gabriella, and before I knew it I was addicted. Being loved like that is like a drug, I had to have more, even though I knew it was wrong to mess with Gabriella's boyfriend, just like I knew it was wrong to mess with Troy's girlfriend"

"If you knew that than why keep going" asked Zeke sincerely.

"Honestly, I only kept going because I wanted to get back at Gabriella for hurting me at the time, and deep down inside I wanted to get back at Chad for treating me like shit the majority of our relationship, but than the unexpected happened. I actually started catching feelings for Troy, and I didn't know how to shut them off…and believe me I tried. Even when Gabriella said she wanted to get back together and I agreed that we should, I couldn't stop seeing Troy…it was like he gave me the attention and love that Chad never did and I loved him for it, I finally understood why Gabriella was so reluctant to let him go. He treats the woman he loves like royalty".

"I don't understand how any of you are treating each other with the respect you deserve if all of you are cheating on one another,…with each other" said Zeke sarcastically.

"Look Zeke, please don't judge me. I know what I'm doing is wrong, and I plan on handling it, but I don't need your disapproving eyes on me, judging me like I'm the scum of the earth. It is possible to love two people at the same time".

"I don't doubt that Taylor, but if Troy and Gabriella ever found out about this whole situation they are gonna be crushed, but the person who is gonna be hurt the most is not them….but you. You're gonna end up alone, if you don't fix this" said Zeke concernedly.

"I know" sighed Taylor heavily. "What should I do" she asked.

"You have to choose…simple as that" he said hunching his shoulders.

"Simple as that huh, if it's so easy than why can't I do it" she said.

"Because you're being selfish, you want things to go your way, since you feel like you've been cheated out of a proper love". "But the love you're experiencing now isn't right, because it's at the expense of someone else's feelings" said Zeke.

"I know that Zeke, but I've been with both of them, and it's hard for me to choose. I love both of them for completely different reasons, and reasons that are the exact same. I keep telling myself to enjoy the ride, and I do…but when I tell myself to choose I can't. This is the hardest decision I have ever had to make" she said.

"But you have to make this decision. You keep saying you love them both, but at what cost are you loving them. How can you say you really love them, when you are willingly hurting the both of them" said Zeke.

Taylor knew he was right but she was getting angrier by the minute, sitting here listening to someone tell her what she already knew she needed to do.

"Look, I appreciate your concern Zeke, but it's no way you could possibly understand what I'm going through. You know nothing of love, or keeping something so secret that it's damaging your heart. You don't know about the ache I walk around with on an everyday basis because of the guilt that's eating me up inside" she said fighting back tears. "I don't know how you found out, nor do I care, but I do want you to mind your own business from here on out. That's the best thing you can do to help me" said Taylor indignantly, while standing up to leave.

"Oh sure, I don't know anything about love or secrets. Well you're wrong McKessie, I know how to keep a secret because I have a few of my own" he said while standing up.

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Taylor exasperated.

"What if I tell you that I have been in love with the same girl since freshman year" said Zeke.

"That's not a secret Zeke, everyone knows you fancy Sharpay" she said a little irritably.

"Well I bet you didn't know that we actually _have_ been dating since freshman year, and the only reason we broke up this year is because she found out she was pregnant" he said quietly.

Taylor stared at him with a shocked expression. "Damn Zeke, I guess you have me beat".


	4. Chapter 4

_Thank you so much for the reviews!!!! I actually really like this story and it's only the beginning. Keep up the reviews, hope you enjoy this chapter._

**Unexpected**

Taylor lowered herself back into her seat, with the still shocked expression on her face. Zeke also sat back in his seat and just looked at Taylor's face in slight amusement.

"You….Zeke Baylor…got Sharpay Evans pregnant?!" whispered Taylor.

"Yes….me….Zeke….got Sharpay pregnant" responded Zeke, smirking slightly at Taylor's behavior.

"You have to give me the details…" started Taylor.

"I really don't feel like getting into all of the details right now" said Zeke cutting her off.

"Being as though you know the most embarrassing things about me right now, I think it's only fair that you tell me all the details…immediately" said Taylor suddenly serious.

The odd pair had an awkward staring session at one another until Zeke finally gave in. "Alright McKessie but you have to promise to keep everything I'm about to tell you, to your self" said Zeke sharply.

"I promise…and we both know I can keep a secret" said Taylor.

Zeke took a deep breath while thinking about where he should start. "Look I'm just gonna make a long story as short as possible".

"Okay" replied Taylor, "Take your time" she said quietly.

"Well it sort of started freshman year….I saw her walking down the hall with her brother on the first day of school and I liked what I saw immediately. I really couldn't explain my attraction to her; I just knew that I was. I watched her for weeks and finally I got the courage to ask her out on a date. To my surprise she said yes, she also said she had noticed me watching her and she was just waiting for me to make the first move…so of course I was ecstatic out of my mind".

"Wait a minute…Sharpay Evans said yes to you…for a date. That doesn't make any sense Zeke, she has been turning you down for practically the past two years" said Taylor looking confused. "Matter of fact, you didn't start asking her out until two years ago, so how have you guys been involved that long without anybody noticing?"

"Well there are two answers to your question. Firstly, if you remember none of us started talking with one another until about two years ago…thanks to one of your current lovers, Gabriella" smiled Zeke. "And secondly, if you let me finish, I can answer all of your questions without you having to ask any of them" he said.

"So anyway, I took her out on our first date ever, and it was great. We both enjoyed each others company and I sealed the date with an innocent kiss on the lips. After a few more dates, the time came to meet her parents. Needless to say I was totally nervous, but Sharpay said it wasn't anything to worry about. So I showed up to her ridiculously large house, and met the parents. Her father immediately didn't like me, and said in so many words that I wasn't good enough for his daughter and he forbid me to ever see Sharpay again….then he slammed the door in my face".

Taylor gasped. "Oh my goodness Zeke, how could her father be such a prick?" whispered Taylor.

"Yeah that's what I thought, but he was nasty, I think he didn't expect me to be black honestly. Sharpay insists that it's not the reason he doesn't like me but my feelings have never been wrong when it truly mattered" said Zeke.

Taylor shook her head in understanding. They both knew that sometimes it could be a little hard being the minority in a place like this one, but the negativity never came from kids there own age, but unbelievably from the adults that was suppose to be shaping their minds.

"I didn't even get to talk to Sharpay for the rest of the week because she decided not to come to school she was so upset. When she did come to school the next week, we both hid in the auditorium projection room and talked for what felt like hours. We both decided to keep dating, but she said we had to be sneaky about it, because her dad had spies all over the school. So we decided to submerge ourselves in school activities that would be the cover for our dates and when we could hang out without anybody ever finding out….and they worked".

"Ah…you basketball, Sharpay drama club" said Taylor quietly.

"Guess they don't call you smart for anything" said Zeke laughing a little.

"Yeah that's me…the smart one" said Taylor sarcastically, more so to herself than Zeke. "What happened next?" she questioned.

"Well our covers worked. I worked really hard at basketball and eventually I made it to varsity with Troy and Chad, and we became friends. I put up a good wall, for the guys so they really thought I was all basketball and eventually baking" he said laughing. "No one knew that Sharpay and I were actually together, but everyone knew that I wanted to be with her…which was all Sharpay's idea. If everybody knew that I liked her than no one would suspect that we were actually together, especially since she continued to turn me down" he said adjusting himself in his chair. "Sharpay engrossed herself in the drama club, you know trying out for everything and getting it and eventually she ended up with her own dressing room, so we could meet there early in the morning or real late after my practices and her rehearsals"

Taylor suddenly gasped, "That's how you found out?"

"Yeah that's how I found out about you and Gabriella, Sharpay and I were in her dressing room, not really saying anything, we just wanted to be close to one another, and we both heard noises, so she sent me to go investigate and I saw the both of you making out in the corner of the stage. I stifled my amusement and went back in told Sharpay, and she burst into immediate giggles….actually I don't think I have ever seen her giggle so hard about something in my life" said Zeke hunching his shoulders.

"Great, great….the girl I can't stand the most knows. Can this day get any worse?" questioned Taylor, while looking up in the sky.

"Actually it can, Troy and Gabriella could find out, then where would you be" said Zeke quietly.

Taylor sighed heavily, "I guess you have a point". She felt some tears falling out of her eyes and she didn't bother to wipe them away. She felt Zeke's hand squeeze hers and somehow she knew that things would get better eventually. Zeke reached in his bag and handed her a napkin. "I guess there's no use in crying over spilled milk" said Taylor wiping the tears away.

"It's alright to cry, trust me I've done it enough this year to qualify as the biggest sissy in Wildcats history" said Zeke quietly.

"I don't think you're a sissy Zeke. I think you're a great guy, who just somehow found himself in a bad situation….which is something we both have in common at the moment" Taylor said, while giving Zeke his own arm squeeze. "How did your situation turn bad anyway?" asked Taylor.

"Well we just kept up appearances and snuck around to see one another as much as possible without anybody knowing, especially her dad. We both hated the summer, because we would always be apart, but last year we finally got the chance to see each during the summer, thanks to Troy".

"Ah, summer jobs at Lava Springs" said Taylor.

"Yeah, it was perfect. We kept up appearances, you know me the chef understudy, and Sharpay completely consumed with trying to get Troy and the Star Dazzle award, but it was all a fake, any spare time we had, we were with each other. That was some of our best moments together" said Zeke getting a glazed look in his eyes. "It was the first time we made love and took our relationship to the next level and we continued those feelings into senior year. Than one day she walks up to me with this serious expression in front of everyone saying we needed to talk. People started whispering saying that she was finally going to ask me to prom, but that definitely wasn't it" he said a little distant.

"What she say Zeke?" asked Taylor quietly.

"She told me she was pregnant. I felt a mix of emotions, I was happy, scared, and nervous all at once, but I didn't get a chance to respond. She turned and walked out of the school almost immediately after telling me. She didn't say anything to me, she just left. I called her cell phone but she wouldn't return my call, I even called Ryan's phone, but he lied and said she wasn't there. All weekend long I was trying to get in contact with her, when Monday rolled around I ran to the school extra early hoping that she would show up" said Zeke his voice wavering slightly.

"Did she?" asked Taylor leaning into Zeke, while looking at him with a serious expression.

"No….she sent Ryan instead. I saw him sitting on the front steps of the school, obviously waiting for me to arrive. Ryan walked up to me and said the worst and most unexpected thing ever, _'Sharpay sent me'_ he started off saying. '_She wanted me to tell you that she's not pregnant anymore and that she didn't have a choice she had to get rid of the baby'_. Zeke's eyes started to water, but he continued. "I asked the obvious dumb question on what he meant by getting rid of, but I knew he meant that she got an abortion".

"Oh my gosh Zeke, I'm so sorry" said Taylor getting emotional herself.

"Thanks McKessie" he said while wiping the few tears that crept up on his face. "I was crushed….I still am crushed, and she didn't come back to school for a couple of days, but when she did we had a lot to discuss. We went into her dressing room, and tears started coming out of her eyes immediately. I had never seen her so upset, but she told me that her dad found out about us, and that he forced her to get rid of our baby. Which I told her was bullshit, because if she really wanted to keep the baby…my baby…our baby, we would have found a way to make it through. It was obvious that she didn't want our baby to begin with. She said that she was scared and she didn't know how she was gonna give birth to an illegitimate child, and she was afraid of being a parent…and the abortion seemed like the best decision for her, but I couldn't take it. I mean everything that we been through, all the secrets and lies so that we could be together, and at the first sign of some real adversity she didn't even discuss it with me, she just made the decision herself than told me about it afterwards. It was completely selfish." said Zeke.

Taylor just stared at him with disbelief written all over her face. She couldn't believe that all this stuff was happing right under there noses.

"Anyway I broke up with her right than and there. I mean how can I be with someone that I can't even trust. Someone who kept a secret about what she was gonna do with my seed…my baby, she just made the decision for herself…and didn't even consider my feelings" he said a little angrily. "I haven't talked to her since, and I honestly think I can talk to her while I'm still this angry".

"You know that would explain why she hasn't been looking her usual Sharpay self lately. Matter of fact she looks a little depressed" said Taylor, shaking her head.

"Well it serves her right; you get what you dish out. Don't get me wrong Taylor, I love Sharpay more than anything, but she cut me deep…and I don't know how to fix any of it because I'm still so angry. See Taylor….all the sneaky around, and lying got us no where. I just can't help but to think that if we were honest about our relationship from the beginning, we could have avoided all of this pain. If we had just dated, no matter what her father thought, or anybody else thought, when she got pregnant, we both would have been able to deal with it…if she would've got pregnant at all. I implore you to do the right thing, you have to make a choice between Troy and Gabriella, the better choice would be to dump them both and move on. I'm serious Taylor if you don't do something soon…you are gonna be hurt beyond belief" he said looking Taylor straight in the eyes.

"I hear you Zeke…and I promise I'm gonna do something about it. I'm just really scared right now" said Taylor looking at Zeke.

"Better to be scared and honest, than to be hurt and alone" said Zeke getting up, as the bell rang signaling next period.

What Zeke said ran through Taylor's head the entire day. She knew immediately what she had to do as soon as their talk was over, and it pained her tremendously but it had to be done. Taylor saw Gabriella in the hall after school and told her she would meet her at her place later on that evening. She rushed home and showered, than grabbed all of her books for their mock study session. Her mother wasn't home yet, so she decided to leave her a note saying that she would be over Gabriella's. She dropped the note on the table next to the door, not noticing the mail that was just under the note she dropped.

'_Better to be scared and honest, than to be hurt and alone' _thought Taylor as she drove over to Gabriella's house. It seemed like the ten thousandth time she heard Zeke's voice in her mind today. Tonight would be the night where she would actually try to do the right thing for once. Arriving at the Montez residence, she grabbed her books and headed for the door. After giving her greetings to Gabriella's mom, she headed straight upstairs to the bedroom. Upon opening the door she saw the surprise of her life.

There were lit candles every where, with soft music playing in the background. Taylor immediately noticed the song as one of her favorite slow R&B tunes. The lights were dimmed slightly and there was a blanket with a bowl of fruit laying on it.

"Gabriella?" called out Taylor. She felt a pair of soft hands cover her eyes, almost scaring the daylights out of her. "Hey beautiful" she heard Gabriella say, and then she felt her kiss the back of her neck.

Taylor pulled away suddenly, she couldn't be distracted from the reason she came here in the first place. "Ah, Gabriella this is gorgeous, but I thought we were here to get ready for the science fair" said Taylor apprehensively.

"Taylor we know that stuff as well as anybody. I figured we could just relax a little, especially since we really haven't had any personal time in the last couple of weeks" said Gabriella suddenly looking hurt. "Besides you were the one who said you were going to make this up to me, I just thought we could make it up to one another" she said quietly.

Taylor stood quietly, staring at the hurt look on Gabriella's face. Truthfully Taylor had forgotten about the fact that she was suppose to make up with Gabriella tonight, being caught by Zeke kinda erased everything from her mind, but she couldn't stand the look on her face right now, _'I guess I can wait until later'_ thought Taylor. "I'm sorry….I just…it's been a crazy day, and I guess I'm a little tensed".

"Well let me relax you love" said Gabriella as she closed and locked her bedroom door. She definitely didn't want her mom coming in unannounced tonight. She walked over to Taylor and pulled her close to her body, "You always fit so perfectly with me" moaned Gabriella, while nuzzling her face into Taylor's neck and placing small light kisses there. Taylor felt herself starting to lose control of the situation, she started to feel that tingling sensation down her back, and she knew she was about to be a lost cause if Gabriella continued. Her mind was telling her to stop, but her body was betraying her by the second. Before she knew it Gabriella had worked her way up to her lips, and they were kissing in the middle of the floor. _'Just enjoy it while it lasts Taylor, it will be over soon enough'_.

Gabriella broke away and led Taylor to the blanket she had set up. She sat down first and beckoned Taylor to sit in between her legs. Once Taylor was seated comfortably, Gabriella wrapped her arm around Taylor's waist and with the other hand she pulled a strawberry from the bowl and started to feed Taylor the delicious treat. "So why was your day so crazy" she asked.

"I…rather…not talk…about it…right now" said Taylor in between bites. "Honestly I just want to be with you and relax, like you said" she said while she grabbed a piece of fruit, and started to feed Gabriella. Taylor lay back on Gabriella's chest and sighed heavily, _'I hope I'm making the right decision. How does something this wrong feel so right?'_ she thought to herself.

"Taylor there is something obviously bothering you" said Gabriella, picking up another strawberry and biting it first before feeding it to Taylor.

"Trust me, it's nothing important" said Taylor biting the fruit. She turned around suddenly and pulled Gabriella to her. "It's my turn to make you feel weak" she said. Taylor kissed Gabriella softly on the lips; they could both taste the strawberry on each others lips. Gabriella deepened the kiss, which totally set Taylor off and before they both knew what was happening, they were naked on the blanket, making love, while the music played softly in the background.

Taylor lay awake again with Gabriella curled up closely by her side. Gabriella had her eyes closed and was silently humming the song that was playing from her iPod, obviously in a state of contentment. The same thoughts were running through Taylor's mind like they always did after she made love with either Gabriella or Troy, and then the sudden wave of guilt started to eat at her insides. Taylor sat straight up and started looking around for her clothing.

"Taylor…what's wrong" asked Gabriella getting up slowly. She watched as Taylor started to put her clothing back on and she to went to her closet and put on her robe.

"We need to talk" said Taylor breathing heavily and sitting down on Gabriella's bed. She had put on her underclothes, skirt, and shoes but she was fidgeting with her shirt, which now was in a ball in her hands.

"I don't like the tone of your voice" said Gabriella crossing her hands over her chest, with worry lines appearing on her face.

"Well you're definitely not gonna like what I have to say next" said Taylor standing while finally putting on her shirt. Gabriella just looked at her from across the room, she had a nervous pit in her stomach, but it palled in comparison to the pit that was now in Taylor's.

Taylor kept her eyes on the ground. "Gabriella….tonight was really beautiful and totally unexpected. I appreciate everything that you've done for me tonight, but…..this….us….we can't continue" said Taylor barely above a whisper.

"What do you mean…we can't continue?" said Gabriella not taking her eyes off of the brown beauty.

"Just exactly that, we can't continue this type of relationship Gabriella. I mean we sneak around and we lie, just so we can be together, and it's not right. I can't live with the guilt of what I'm doing. I'm hurting people, and I 'm hurting you and it can't be anymore" said Taylor as tears started to fall.

"Taylor what are you talking about? How are you hurting me? We love each other…I mean I love you Taylor" said Gabriella walking over to Taylor and wiping the tears from her face.

It was the first time that Gabriella had ever said that to Taylor, and upon hearing it the water works started coming full force. She walked away from Gabriella and across the room.

"I love you too Gaby" said Taylor softly. "But that doesn't change the situation. Whether you realize it or not, we are both hurting people that we really care about. And I get why you haven't wanted to break up with Troy and define us…I really do, but this can't continue. We have to end this…and since you're not gonna do it…it has to be me. I have to take responsibility and deal" said Taylor.

It had been a long time since Taylor used Gabriella's nickname, and it was then that she realized how serious this was. "Look Tay…I'm not good at expressing myself…you and I both know this" said Gabriella stuttering, trying to control her emotions. "But I'm asking you not to do this…not to give up on us" she said walking over to Taylor and standing directly in front of her. "I know you're mad because I haven't defined us and I haven't broken up with Troy…but I just need time to figure out everything Taylor, my emotions and everything…I just need you to be patient for me".

"I can't anymore Gaby….don't you get it, our time has run out" said Taylor, while tears were still running down her face. "I'm sorry but I have to go" said Taylor trying to push past Gabriella.

"Please Taylor, don't do this, we can work this out…I promise" said Gabriella grabbing Taylor. Tears were flowing down her eyes as well, she tried to kiss Taylor but Taylor just pushed her away. "Why are you doing this?" questioned Gabriella softly.

"Because it should have been done a long time ago, it should have never started. I promise it's better to hurt now, than to hurt more later" cried Taylor. She was trying desperately to wipe the tears away from her eyes and gain composure.

"Oh I get it, I was the easy lay…you know to help you get over Chad" said Gabriella angrily. Taylor somehow remembered having this same conversation with Troy just the night before. She knew it was Gabriella's way of lashing out, because of the pain she was feeling. _'You have to be strong Taylor, don't let her tears or pleas break you. This has to be done and over with right now'_ she thought.

"Gabriella you know that's not true…you know how I feel about you, but until things are different we can't be together. I know this sounds cliché but it's really me and not you. I have some things that I need to work on…and I can't work on them and be in a secret relationship". There was silence between the two girls, until Gabriella walked over to Taylor and grabbed her, "I'm begging you not to do this Taylor, please don't do this to me" she cried. Gabriella looked so pitiful, all Taylor could do was grab her into a hug and cry along with her.

The two held each other and cried for quite sometime, until Taylor pulled away. She kissed Gabriella on the head, "I have to go…I gotta get home". Taylor didn't give Gabriella a chance to respond; she just ran to the door, unlocked it and ran down the stairs to her waiting car outside. Gabriella ran to the balcony that accompanied her room, she heard Taylor running to her car, the ignition starting, and Taylor driving off in a hurry. Never in her entire life had she felt so alone and abandoned. Gabriella fell to her knees and clutched herself. Trying to calm down her crying she tried to convince herself that this was the best thing, she didn't have to feel guilty for cheating on Troy anymore.

Taylor drove home in complete silence. Her heart ached so much she felt it physically within. _'One down and one more to go'_ she thought to herself. Taylor knew that picking one over the other wasn't the best way to go; she had to free herself of both Troy and Gabriella's hold, no matter how much it hurt them or her. Taylor arrived at her house and parked her car. She decided to get herself together before she walked in or her mother would be playing twenty questions with her. She straightened her clothes and hair and tried to clear her face of all evidence of crying, even though her eyes were very puffy.

Walking through the door she saw her mother still up waiting for her. "Mom I thought you would be sleep by now" said Taylor addressing Ms. McKessie.

"Yeah me too" she said a little aggressively. Taylor knew immediately by her mothers tone that something wasn't right. "Mom…what's wrong?"

"Did you bother to check the mail today, Taylor?" she asked.

"No mom, I just came home to grab my books that I needed for the study session with Gabriella. Than I wrote you a note to tell you where I would be" said Taylor a little nervously.

"Well…it's obvious you haven't been doing a lot of studying lately. There was a letter there from your doctor Taylor….it informed me that you are pregnant!" yelled her mother.

Taylor just stood looking at her mom in complete shock.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you guys so much for the reviews. I usually don't write slash stories; I just thought this would be an interesting concept. Get ready for the rest of the story and some serious drama. This chapter is kinda long, but I was trying to write out the emotions of everyone involved as clear as I could. Plenty of reviews, and I hope you enjoy._

**Reactions**

"I'm…I'm what?" stuttered Taylor.

"You're pregnant!" screamed her mother. "Taylor I can't believe you messed up this big….what the hell were you thinking. I didn't even know you were sexual active!"

Taylor just stared at her mom. She couldn't be pregnant, this couldn't be happening to her now. Graduation was around the corner, she just got her acceptance letter to Yale, she dumped Gabriella and Troy was next on her list. She was about to start fresh, it's no way a baby could be growing inside of her.

"TAYLOR! Are you listening to me?!" screamed her mother, breaking Taylor out of her train of thought.

Taylor couldn't form words to come out of her mouth, she was in total shock.

"Taylor…I know you here me girl….answer me. How in the hell somebody as smart as you could be so stupid is a mystery to me!" yelled her mother.

"I'm not stupid mom…I just made a mistake…a huge mistake" said Taylor finally. Her mother looked at her with such disappointment, it made Taylor cry immediately.

"Well this mistake is gonna cost you Taylor….it's gonna cost you your future, that you've worked so hard for" said her mother choking up. "Instead of making it and beating the stereotype, you just fed right into it" she said turning away from Taylor and sitting on the couch. "You're father will be home soon…I suggest you wait up stairs in you room, while I break the news to him" said her mother quietly.

Taylor stood at the door for what seemed like an eternity afraid to move but she looked over at her mom, and watched her mother break down in tears. That was enough motivation for her to run up the stairs and into her room. She closed the door while locking it at the same time and immediately fell on to her bed, "God I can not be pregnant…please I can't be pregnant" she cried out. She knew the father was Troy, but how was she supposed to cut him from her life when they had a baby on the way. Everything from here on out was ruined… _'My mom was right, this is gonna cost me everything'_ she thought to herself.

Taylor curled herself into a ball and continued to cry in her pillow for the next couple of hours. She heard the door shut downstairs and knew that her father was home from work. She heard her mother hysterically tell her father Taylor's current condition. "What!" she heard him yell. Loud footsteps followed instantly, she heard her father's aggressive movements coming up the stairs, followed by him banging on her bedroom door.

"Taylor open this damn door!" yelled Mr. McKessie, while still banging on the door. Taylor didn't move an inch from her bed, the last thing she needed was an irate father telling her how much of a screw up she is. "Taylor, open up!" he yelled. "Open this door now, or I will knock it down!" Taylor heard her father scream.

"Steven stop it" said Mrs. McKessie. "Just leave her alone for right now, I didn't make her feel too good when she came home and you don't need to make her feel worse".

"She doesn't deserve to feel good!" she heard her father scream at the door. "All those damn sacrifices we've made for her, and this is how she repays us!" he continued to yell. "By getting knocked up by that idiot….YOU DESERVE EVERYTHING YOU GET!"

Taylor heard her father stomp down the steps and slam the front door. She immediately started crying harder than before, and could be audibly heard outside her bedroom door by her mother. Mrs. McKessie walked down the stairs and made a very important phone call to help and try to fix the situation. She called the number she had become familiar with over the past couple of years.

"Uh hey Ronnie, it's Kim….it seems that my daughter has gotten herself pregnant. Yeah uh huh…yeah well it sounds to me that your son is definitely the father….I have no idea what we are gonna do…well she's not getting rid of it that's for sure….college is out of the question definitely for her, I don't know about him…..well I guess we should meet tomorrow….alright…sorry to be the barer of bad news….yeah…uh huh……right….well I'll see you, Christian, and Chad tomorrow….alright now….bye", Mrs. McKessie hung up the phone and sat back down on the couch, waiting for her husband to arrive back home.

Taylor was still crying upstairs totally oblivious to the phone call her mom had just made on her behalf. There were so many thoughts running through her head, but the main thing that kept popping back in was that she was pregnant at seventeen and how was she gonna fix this huge problem that just happened. She did the only thing she could think of. Taylor walked over to her dresser and picked up her cell phone, she dialed a number that she had just saved to her phone that day.

"Hello?" answered the person on the other end.

"Zeke…" cried Taylor, "I messed up big, and you said that if I ever needed you to call…so I'm calling."

Taylor awoke the next morning in a daze, she still had on the clothes from the night before and she barely got any rest. From being on the phone all night with Zeke, to constantly waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweats, to hearing her father slamming the door, letting her and her mom know he finally get back in the house, it was a hard night. And the worst part about it was that she was still pregnant the next day. Taylor went to the closet to get a change of clothing; she headed straight for the bathroom to take a shower. Looking in the mirror she saw dark circles under them and she had a headache to boot. Taylor hopped into the shower to get ready for the day. Once she was done her daily hygienic rituals she went downstairs to find something to eat. Once downstairs she noticed her mom was already up making breakfast.

"Have a seat, you need to get something in you…your eating for two now" said her mother without looking up from the eggs she was frying on the stove. It was obvious her mother hadn't got much rest either; she saw dark circles under her eyes as well. Taylor sat down and her mother came over with some toast and the fried eggs. "Thanks" said Taylor almost inaudibly.

Her mom fixed her plate and sat down with Taylor and started to eat. Taylor just stared at her plate…not really in the mood to eat anymore.

"Taylor you seriously have to eat, you didn't have any dinner last night" said her mother harshly. _'I did have some strawberries'_ thought Taylor to herself. Thinking about those strawberries immediately bought Gabriella to her mind, _'What I wouldn't give to be dealing with that problem instead of this one'_ she thought to herself.

Taylor heard some movement upstairs and she knew her father was getting ready for work. "Taylor seriously….eat" said her mother again. Taylor picked up her fork and proceeded to devour her breakfast, she honestly didn't realize how hungry she was.

"It's obvious you won't be going to school today, and I've taken off from work. I've called the doctor's and made an appointment, you have to get on neo-natal pills as soon as possible, and then we have a meeting with Chad and his parents today" she said still not looking at Taylor.

Taylor dropped her fork onto her plate suddenly, "Wh…who's coming over for a meeting?" stuttered Taylor.

"Chad and his parents…Taylor, he _is_ the father so he has to be here too" said Mrs. McKessie finally giving Taylor eye contact.

Taylor jumped up from her seat, "Oh my goodness…no...no...no...No! Mom please tell me you didn't call him!" yelled Taylor.

"Of course I called, and I didn't talk to him, I talked to his mom. It's settled they're gonna be here this afternoon!" yelled her mom right back, standing up and putting her plate into the kitchen sink.

"Mom…what have you done….what have you done! This can't be happening to me, God please tell me she didn't do that!" screamed Taylor. Her chest was noticeably moving up and down, "I can't believe this…I'm dead" she said quietly.

"What have I done! You have some nerve Taylor, you're the one that's pregnant at seventeen….not me! I'm just trying to help your ungrateful ass and you're gonna ask me what I've done! Unbelievable!" yelled her mother. Taylor saw her father storm down the steps and stare at both his wife and child. Both of her parents looked at her with utter disgust, like they didn't even recognize her.

"I'm going upstairs to get ready" announced her mother breaking the tension that was felt between the three family members. She watched as her mother walked up the stairs, and she locked eyes with her father who continued to stare at her like she was something found at the bottom of a toilet bowl. "I'm sorry daddy" she said quietly as tears escaped her eyes.

"I'm going to work" he said breaking eye contact and walking out of the door, slamming it in the process. Taylor stood in place crying for sometime, until she heard the doorbell ring. Walking over to the door, she prayed it was Zeke who said he would miss school today to come and be with her. Opening the door she saw her current lifesaver, "Oh Zeke" Taylor clasped her hands around his neck and continued to cry, "Everything is messed up" she said clearly upset. "My parents hate me and my mom called Chad's mom and told her that he was the father….Chad, Zeke! I'm ruined" she said letting go of his neck and walking out the front door and into the cool morning's air.

"She did what!" said Zeke trying to process everything quickly.

"She set up a meeting with Chad and his parents this afternoon…she basically told his mom that he was the father of my baby" said Taylor looking strangely. It was the first time she admitted out loud that she was actually pregnant and that the baby belonged to her.

"Taylor…sweetie you're gonna have to calm down" said Zeke walking over to her and cupping his hands around her face. "I know things are crazy right now, but maybe…maybe this is the way that things are gonna fix themselves…that your totally honest for once" said Zeke.

"Zeke I broke it off with Gabriella last night…and I was gonna get to Troy today…but this….you know Chad is gonna go to school and spread the word around. My name is basically mud now…Chad and I can barely stand each other as is…and this…I know he is gonna use this as an opportunity….I feel it" said Taylor, brushing Zeke's hands away.

"Taylor even if he does…this is what you wanted right, to be at peace, maybe with the truth out you can finally do that…you're putting to much stress on yourself. Remember you pregnant, you can't stress out like this" said Zeke, watching Taylor turn away and look out onto the street. He walked up to her and embraced her, "I'm here Taylor, just know that I'm here and I'm gonna help you through this" he said quietly.

"Why are you doing this" she asked quietly.

"I don't know…maybe because the opportunity for me to do this was taken away without my permission. Or maybe because you called and you sound so broken over the phone…or just maybe you need somebody to support you right now…someone who is not gonna judge, but just be a friend" he responded quietly.

Taylor turned towards him and held onto Zeke as strongly as she could. His presence brought her an undeniable sense of peace, somehow she knew all of this would be okay but she also knew that this would be the calm before the storm.

Taylor heard her mom calling out for her in the house. "I'm out here mom" said Taylor. Zeke attempted to straighten out his clothing while Taylor wiped the tears away from her face.

"Morning Mrs. McKessie" said Zeke greeting her when she stepped on the porch.

"Ezekiel….what are you doing here?" asked Mrs. McKessie sounding perplexed.

"My friend needed my help, so here I am. I hope you don't mind me going with you guys today" he asked.

"I guess not….Ezekiel…." started Mrs. McKessie.

"It's Zeke actually, Mrs. McKessie" he stated.

"Oh…well Zeke…are you….you know what never mind. I guess we should get going. Taylor your appointment is at nine, and were running late as is" she said not giving Taylor any eye contact. She walked to the car and waited for the two teenagers to join her.

"Zeke you mind sitting in the front seat, as you can see I'm not really welcomed" said Taylor quietly walking to the car.

"Taylor c'mon, your mom has the right to be angry" said Zeke.

"Yeah I know Zeke…but I can't take the verbal beating I feel about to come on, so please" said Taylor quickly.

"Sure…no problem, just relax…for me…and the baby" smiled Zeke.

Taylor smiled for the first time in days. It felt weird on her face…being able to smile, especially considering the circumstances. Zeke hopped in the front seat and strapped in, while Taylor sat in the back. Her mom didn't complain at all, and to be honest it was a very uncomfortable ride to the doctor's office, the trio sat in silence the entire ride there, with no music playing at all. Taylor's mind wandered towards the future and how she was gonna be able to support a child, when she barely knew how to take care of herself. But mostly she wandered how she was going to break it to Troy that he was about to be a father.

The doctor's visit was quick and pretty painless. The doctor confirmed her pregnancy and gave her a list of pills and things she needed to do to protect her and the baby. Her mom remained silent the whole time and Zeke remained the strong presence she needed to get through the entire ordeal. Zeke suggested that she get some lunch before they went home, which Taylor's mother agreed on. They decided to go to the mall and eat at the food court, upon entering her mom walked off and left Zeke and Taylor to themselves. While sitting down eating, Taylor noticed she missed phone calls from Chad, Troy, and Gabriella, not to mention other students at the school.

"He's done it….he has told everyone" said Taylor.

"C'mon, Chad barely talks to people he doesn't know…so he couldn't have told everyone" smiled Zeke, trying to make light of the situation.

"Seriously Zeke…I'm not gonna even listen to these messages…I can't deal with this right now" said Taylor taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Then don't, it will get dealt with and due time. The thing I want you to remember is to stay calm and when it hits the fan…and it will…be honest. It's the quickest way to make all of this go away" said Zeke. "Now let's talk about something less dramatic" he stated matter-of-factly.

The duo continued the rest of their lunch, talking about trivial things, even though Taylor's mind was on totally different matters. Mrs. McKessie walked past them, signaling to them she was ready to go. Zeke threw their trash away and helped Taylor to the car. He sat back up front and Taylor sat in the back, the same tension that was in the car before, was still there….maybe a little more strongly.

Mrs. McKessie pulled up into the driveway of their home.

"Oh no" whispered Taylor, once she saw who was waiting on the porch.

"What in the world…Taylor, why are all your friends here" asked Mrs. McKessie hotly.

"I think they are just trying to be supportive" stated Zeke quietly.

"Well tell them they can't stay long Taylor…we have the meeting with Chad today" said her mother getting out of the car and slamming the door. She walked up to the porch and greeted the guests, "Nice to see you again Gabriella and Troy…but please don't stay long" said Mrs. McKessie, deciding to tell the couple herself.

"Trust me we won't" said Troy a little agitated. There was an evident space between him and Gabriella and neither one of them were smiling or being very cordial. Mrs. McKessie thought it was very odd, but she didn't give it much thought…her concern was how she was gonna help her daughter out of this crazy situation. She thought about abortion but realized nobody in her family would go for that at all.

Taylor was still seated in the backseat of the car feeling like she was about to hyperventilate. Zeke got out of the car slowly, looking at both Gabriella and Troy he nodded, and went to the back of the car to help Taylor out. He opened her door, but she just sat in the car breathing heavily. "Taylor c'mon…we gotta deal with this…notice I said we, you're not gonna be alone" said Zeke, as he watched a few tears escape from her eyes. "Taylor…c'mon….it's time to deal" he stated quietly.

Taylor tried her best to compose her self before she stepped out of the vehicle. Zeke held his hand out for her, and she grabbed it with her trembling hands. He helped her stand up, "You can do this" he whispered. They walked slowly to the porch and walked up the stairs. Taylor looked at both Troy and Gabriella, who had their arms crossed over the chests and both had looks on their faces like they could kill. Taylor locked eyes with both Gabriella and Troy as tears started to flow out of her eyes, which in turn made Gabriella start to cry.

There was a very awkward silence between the quartet on the porch of the McKessie's, but Troy was fuming so much that he decided it was time to break the silence and get to the truth.

"You know we won the game last night, and I was so pumped up that when I got home I couldn't go to sleep. Then I received this crazy call from my best friend Chad, who said that his mom just yelled at him and cursed him out because he had gotten Taylor pregnant. It was then that I realized that I was gonna be a dad, and even though I was scared out of my mind, I couldn't help but be ecstatic….I was having a baby with somebody I truly loved and cared about" said Troy angrily.

Gabriella just shook her head and turned her back on all of them. She started crying aloud as she clutched her chest. Taylor looked from Gabriella and Troy but remained quiet as tears continued to flow freely from her eyes.

"Then less then ten minutes later I received another call from…" continued Troy angrily, "Gabriella telling me that she's in love with somebody else and we could no longer be together….she also told me that she had been cheating on me for months. I should have been angry but the fact that I already knew she was cheating, and she finally was telling me the truth, combined with the fact that I was gonna be a father…lessened the blow. The only thing I asked her was who was this guy….who had stolen Gabriella's heart from me….imagine my surprise when she told me it was her best friend….you Taylor" said Troy staring daggers at Taylor.

Taylor lowered her head in shame, as Zeke stood behind her as strong as ever. "How could you?!" yelled Gabriella, turning around and looking directly at Taylor…. "How could you do this?!" as tears continued to flow down her face, "I love you…how could you sleep with my boyfriend the same time you were with me. What did I ever do to you…to make you treat me this way" cried Gabriella.

"Gabriella….I'm sorry…okay….I felt really guilty about it, the whole thing…that's why I broke it off with you last night, and I was gonna break it off with Troy today, but I got the new that I was expecting and….just know that I'm sorry…I never meant for any of this to happen" cried Taylor.

"Oh is that right!" yelled Troy. "I came to you asking what was up with Gabriella, and you said you didn't know. I told you that I knew she was cheating on me and how that made me feel and…you knew the whole time that the other person was you! I loved you Taylor and I loved Gabriella too" he said glancing at Gabriella…I mean we had something though Taylor, I was willing to let go of her to be with you…I felt it, but you were screwing me and my girl at the same time! What the hell were you thinking!" yelled Troy chocking up, he was trying his hardest not to cry but his tears betrayed him any way.

"I was thinking…that….I was thinking that I love you both…for totally different reasons. Gabriella I love you because you always listened to me, and you made me feel like I was worth loving, when you kissed me it was so tender and I could tell it was from the soul…that you weren't faking it" said Taylor stepping a little closer, "and Troy you made me feel the exact same way, you talked to me and treated me like a lady, way better than Chad ever did, I had never experienced that type of emotions or feelings with another guy…I don't know I just loved spending time with both of you, and yes it was wrong of me, and yes it was totally selfish…but it was like the both of you were a drug no matter how hard I tried I couldn't stop….it was like I was addicted to the love that both of you gave me" said Taylor.

"You were addicted" countered Gabriella, "Taylor do you realize what you've done…I told my mother that I was gay last night…I finally decided to face my fears and express myself properly…and this is what I get in return! My mother could barely look at me this morning and I had to find out my best friend in the entire world, my confident, and my lover was cheating on me with my boyfriend! Do you realize how much this hurts…Taylor…do you!" yelled Gabriella.

"How could she…it's obvious that she was being a selfish bitch!" yelled Troy.

"Now what just a minute" said Zeke stepping from behind Taylor and approaching Troy and Gabriella. "I love how the both of you are putting all the blame on Taylor, but you both have to take some responsibility for your actions. All three of you were cheating on one another, and if you're really hurt the real person you need to blame is yourselves. You all decided not to be honest, sneak around, and lie, and this is the consequence for it….the pain your feeling right now, all of you deserve what you're getting. You deceived one another, but more importantly you deceived yourselves" said Zeke.

"Man shut the hell up! Why the fuck are you even here, this doesn't concern you…not unless you were banging her too! I guess you've got the best stuff in town…huh Taylor!" yelled Troy.

Zeke didn't even think, he just felt his fist connecting with Troy's face…..WHAM! Troy fell back onto the porch, while both Gabriella and Taylor shrieked. "I don't care how angry you are Troy Bolton, you have no right to disrespect her that way!" yelled Zeke shaking his fist.

Troy scrambled off of the floor and went to go swing back at Zeke, but Zeke grabbed his arm, turned Troy around on the spot and placed him in a head lock. Troy getting angrier by the minute was trying to break Zeke's hold but the harder her struggled the more Zeke tightened his grip. "Troy c'mon man, calm down" he said.

"Man screw you!" yelled Troy. "Get off of me right now….let me go!" he yelled. Zeke continued to hold him in place until Troy eventually calmed down. Gabriella and Taylor looked on with concern, not noticing that Taylor's mom was standing in the door way and had been standing there for quite some time.

"You know what… fuck you and that baby Taylor!" said Troy once Zeke finally let him go, "I'm not even gonna claim that baby as mine…the way you been running around town, it probably will come out deformed anyway" said Troy as tears ran down his face.

"Well you don't have to worry about that Bolton!" yelled Zeke, "cause the baby was never yours to begin with, it's mine, and if you ever come at her like that again, I swear I will break your face in" said Zeke standing in front of Taylor while he clenched and unclenched his fists.

"Good riddance than, and just to make sure were perfectly clear here, Gabriella you and I are done" said Troy pointing at her, "and Taylor I want nothing to do with you ever again…you've messed up so big, I hope you have a fucked up life!" said Troy as he yelled through his tears. "And as for you Zeke, you can kiss our friendship goodbye. I hope you, your whore, and your illegitimate baby have the time of your lives!" yelled Troy as tears streamed down his face. He turned around and ran off the porch and down the street.

Taylor stood rooted in place with her mouth almost to the floor. She couldn't even speak she was so shocked by the events that just took place. Gabriella walked up to Taylor and wrapped her up in a hug. She kissed Taylor on her forehead as tears continued to stream down both of their faces. "I'm so sorry Gabriella" cried Taylor eventually.

"Yeah me too" said Gabriella releasing Taylor. "Take care of her Zeke, cause it hurts too much to be around right now" said Gabriella.

"Don't worry I will" said Zeke with a determined look on her face.

Gabriella walked down the stairs and in the opposite direction that Troy had just ran, she glanced back at her former lover and shook her head. Her relationship with Taylor and Troy would never be the same, and she knew the effect today's events would have on the rest of the Wildcats family; never in her entire life had she felt so alone. She wiped the tears from her eyes and walked slowly down the street.

Soon as Gabriella couldn't be seen anymore, Taylor collapsed down to her knees and screamed aloud. She couldn't believe that this was happening, "What have I done" she yelled out. Zeke rushed to her side along with her mother, "Don't worry Mrs. McKessie…I have her" said Zeke harshly, lifting Taylor up. Mrs. McKessie moved out of the way, it hurt her too much to see her daughter in so much pain….she felt like she didn't even know who Taylor was, so she jumped in her car and rode off down the street.

Zeke took her into the house and carried Taylor upstairs to her room. He laid her down gently on the bed, and placed some covers atop of her. Taylor still was crying really hard, as she unconsciously rubbed her stomach, "Why did you do that Zeke?" she stuttered out through her tears.

"Because you don't deserve to be treated like that McKessie, everybody makes mistakes and he was just as wrong as you were…they both were" said Zeke angrily.

"He only said that stuff because he was hurt" cried Taylor.

"That still doesn't give him the right to be an ass" said Zeke, "besides I told you I would help you through this".

"By telling him, you're the father of my baby. How is that gonna help anybody, it's still a lie" said Taylor.

"You don't need that type of person around you, while you're pregnant Taylor. He's just trying his best to hurt you, because he's hurt, and you don't need that type of stress while you're pregnant. I will tell him the truth eventually…but as of right now you need to stay as calm as possible, and have a good pregnancy….for my baby and all" he said with a smirk. Zeke placed his hand on top of Taylor's hand as they both rubbed her stomach. Taylor continued to cry but Zeke tried to calm her down. He lay beside her and grabbed her into his body. He could remember a time when he use to console Sharpay this way, but things changed, and only time would tell if they were changing for the better.

Taylor knew deep down inside that Zeke was helping her because he had lost out on this opportunity with Sharpay, but she silently thanked God that he sent Zeke her way, because it was no way she could have dealt with the drama of today and the drama that was surely to follow, without having somebody strong by her side.


	6. Chapter 6

_Awww man! The love I'm receiving is enough to make me explode. LOL. This is the next chapter and the story is moving along nicely guys...hope you stay with me on this crazy ride._

**Solace**

Zeke and Taylor sat in the car outside of East High. It had been two weeks exactly since either one had been to school. Zeke thought it was best to let things cool off a bit before returning; besides Taylor really didn't need the stress, especially with the end of the year senior activities right around the corner. The duo sat quietly pondering on things to themselves. Both of them were nervous, but Taylor was more anxious than Zeke. In one day she'd lost everything she held near and dear to her, but she also gained one of the best friends she ever had in her life.

"Zeke I don't know if I have thanked you, but I'm really grateful for you being here…you know not judging me…or leaving me, just thanks for being a great friend" said Taylor quietly.

"Tay you thank me every day and I tell you every time that it's nothing" said Zeke chuckling.

"I know but…it's everything to me right now" said Taylor quietly.

Zeke sighed while looking out at the extensive building, "I know…trust me I know".

Taylor looked out as students started walking into the building, rushing to wherever they were going. She remembered when she was one of the masses heading into the building early to catch up on homework, or to meet Troy or Gabriella for one of there early morning rendezvous. Taylor ran her hands over her stomach, she really couldn't feel the baby inside of her quite yet, but she knew it was in there. Her morning sickness told her so; she noticed small changes in her body and her doctor informed her that she was in her first trimester. But health terminology aside, she felt connected to her baby in a way that she really couldn't explain, she loved her baby even though she didn't know the sex, and it probably looked like a sea horse.

Taylor smiled at her joke, as she looked out of the window. She gasped suddenly as she saw Gabriella walking into the building, it felt like forever since she had seen her, and she honestly wasn't ready for it.

"Taylor what's wrong?" asked Zeke concernedly.

"Nothing…I…I just saw Gabriella and I was a little unprepared" said Taylor.

"Oh…you sure you're gonna be able to handle this" questioned Zeke.

"I'm sure Zeke…I'm good…I couldn't stay in the house any longer anyway" said Taylor.

"That's for sure" said Zeke frowning up his face. "You know Taylor, I talked to my mom and we are thinking that you should move in with us…I mean my dad is helping out and my mom feels as though it would be more beneficial to you and the baby" said Zeke.

"I can't just leave my parents" said Taylor.

"They're treating you like crap…I mean your father doesn't even talk to you and your mother…well she's at least trying" said Zeke angrily.

It was true; her father only stared at her in disgust once he found out about all of her sexual partners. He didn't even acknowledge her presence and when he did he looked at her like she was scum on the bottom of a toilet. Her mom was trying hard to adjust, but she was still kinda giving Taylor the cold shoulder. Even though her parents were treating her with such disregard, she still couldn't leave them, they were the only family she had. She remained silent and Zeke knew that was her way of saying the discussion was over. He rolled his eyes and turned to look out the side of his window, as he saw Troy walking into the building.

That day always played in Zeke's mind, he still couldn't believe he decked Troy like that…but he felt justified, even if Troy was hurt it gave him no right to be that disrespectful to Taylor, besides he was just as guilty as she was. "You ready McKessie" said Zeke.

"Yeah…as ready as I'll ever be" said Taylor opening the car door.

Zeke walked over to her and helped her out of the car, "Where did you learn how to be such a gentleman" laughed Taylor.

"Hey you don't date Sharpay Evans for three years and not pick up a thing or two" smiled Zeke.

"So true…so true" Taylor said as she continued to laugh. They walked side by side as they made their way through the parking lot, "So Zeke, since you're suppose to be my baby's daddy and all…people are gonna assume were dating…what do you think of that Mr. Baylor" smiled Taylor, she was in a jovial mood, even though she knew they were about to be ostracized by the entire school.

"I think that I am proud to be your baby's daddy, and anybody who has a problem with it can kiss my…."

"Ah, ah, ah…now Mr. Baylor we can't have you cursing around the fetus or is it an embryo…or maybe it's a zygote, but whatever it is… no foul language around the baby" laughed Taylor.

"Okay sorry" smirked Zeke, "So what do you want some PDA" asked Zeke smirking.

"Not really…I just needed to get my mind off of what's about to happen, I think PDA is what got me in this mess in the first place" said Taylor.

Zeke nodded his head in agreement, "It will be okay Tay, I'm here…have confidence in that, and we will make it through" he said wrapping his arm around her waist and giving her a reassuring squeeze. He released her as Taylor took a big breath and they walked through the doors of the school building. Zeke and Taylor both held their heads high as they walked through the hallways, they heard their names in low private tones from their counterparts, and Taylor even heard her name synonymous with such words as bitch, slut, and whore, not to mention they felt the eyes of people following them. The only person, who even remotely talked to the both of them, was Kelsi when she gave a small wave and an almost inaudible 'Hello'.

Zeke stopped at his locker and gathered his belongings he left in there two weeks prior, "Alright you ready to go to homeroom" said Zeke.

Taylor quietly shook her head and clutched her bag close to her body; they turned into the direction of homeroom, while walking Zeke reminded Taylor again that everything would be okay. Upon reaching the room they heard light talking but as soon as they made their presence through the door, it was an immediate hush. Zeke immediately locked his eyes on Sharpay, whose eyes watered up at once but no tears fell down her face, something she mastered at young age. She crossed her legs and arms at once and turned towards the window. Zeke could see her leg shaking quickly under her desk.

Taylor glanced around the room and she saw Troy looking at her with utter hatred, the two week break obviously didn't cool him off. She saw Chad looking at her the exact same way; and she realized just then how this whole situation would affect Chad too. They both quietly decided together that it was better to go to their seats than be the object of everyone's vision.

As Taylor walked back to her seat, which was directly behind Chad, she glanced up at Gabriella. They stared at each other for a second longer than usual and Taylor immediately took her seat, refusing to look anywhere else but the back of Chad's head. Gabriella closed her eyes, to try and prevent the tears from escaping them. Zeke took his seat on the other side of Sharpay, who turned her head away from him as soon as he sat down. He was use to sitting next to her and being totally uncomfortable…the story of his whole high school existence.

Ms. Darbus had noticed the changes in her senior homeroom class, she also had heard the rumors about Taylor and her many conquests. You could cut the tension in the room with a knife, it was almost tangible. Not only did it bother her that her homeroom was totally tensed all the time now but it was obvious to her that all of her children were searching and wanting love, but they were hurting one another in their quest to get it. Her eyes scanned her classroom, Troy was hiding his obvious hurt behind anger but what he didn't know, which Ms. Darbus immediately realized, was that he was angry with himself for what he did and what was done to him, and he was taking it out on other people.

She watched as Gabriella kept her eyes closed, she noticed that Gabriella was completely depressed, but what amazed Ms. Darbus was the fact that she could maintain her grades even though she was clearly broken for all the stuff happened. Ms. Darbus sighed heavily, "Alright please listen up to the following announcements senior homeroom" said Ms. Darbus strongly, scaring the students out of their private thoughts.

In all honesty no one was paying the announcements any mind, they were silently praying for the bell to ring and an end to the current torture. "Ms. Darbus will you be attending the senior prom with us" asked Jason nonchalantly, which in turn made several students smile and even a few chuckled.

"Uh Jason…I maybe will and I maybe won't" she said quietly smiling at Jason for breaking the tension a little.

The bell rang much to the relief of Taylor and several of the East High crew. Everyone rushed out of the chairs and almost ran to the door, Zeke was tempted to rush after Sharpay but he thought better of it, and walked over to Taylor who was still seated. "You okay McKessie" said Zeke quietly.

She nodded her head yes and got up to leave but Ms. Darbus stopped them, "You know Mr. Baylor and Ms. McKessie I really hope everything works out for you".

"Thanks Ms. Darbus" they both said simultaneously, with little emotion. The stricken pair walked into the hallway where the disrespectful taunts continued to rain on them. Zeke held his head high as Taylor followed his lead. _'Thank God we have the same first period'_ she thought to herself.

"Hey during free period let's meet in the library like we did last time. I'll bring lunch so you just show up okay" said Zeke before they reached their class.

"Sounds good to me" said Taylor quietly.

They entered class and the same happened to them that happened in homeroom, "Man I can't wait till this day is over" whispered Zeke to Taylor.

"Yeah you and me both" she whispered back as they walked to their seats.

The rest of the morning continued liked that all day…Taylor being called offensive names and people (even teachers) shaking their heads disappointedly at the two. Taylor was so happy when free period came, she was about to explode. She sat down at the same table that she shared her deepest secrets with Zeke, almost three weeks prior. Waiting patiently she recalled the looks that Troy had been throwing her way all morning, it was enough to make her feel sick or it could have just been morning sickness. Gabriella just looked depressed the entire morning and refused to even look in her direction.

Lost in her thoughts she only looked up when Zeke walked in looking slightly upset, "What's wrong?" asked Taylor immediately as he approached their table.

"I had a run in with Sharpay…she was so mad at me Taylor" said Zeke sitting down rubbing his temples.

"When…where?" she asked concernedly.

"In the hallway…she was about to lay into me but I told her we could talk in private…she's probably gonna show up here" he said looking at Taylor, "dramatics and all".

"Oh" was all Taylor could manage. "You think that's such a good idea, with me being here" asked Taylor looking slightly stressed.

"She said she wanted to talk to both of us…whatever that's supposed to mean. I told her that the only way I would talk to her is if it was civil and that she wouldn't try to stress you out…even though she looked hurt she agreed to my conditions so I can only hope for the best…but if I see it going south than were done" he said quietly. "Anyway, how's my baby" he said reaching into his backpack and handing her some lunch.

"Fine I guess…I've had this queasy feeling inside all day…I can't tell if it's nerves or just the normal part of being pregnant" she said while taking a bite out of her sandwich.

"I think it's a little of both" he said unconsciously rubbing her stomach, "besides I've noticed the way Troy has been looking at you…today was definitely a stressful one, but I swear Taylor if he even comes at you wrong it's on" said Zeke grabbing some chips and cramming them into his mouth.

"Zeke like seriously, if you and Troy fight in school and get suspended than I'm all alone here…promise me you won't do that" she asked quietly.

Zeke sighed heavily, Taylor did have a point. He rubbed her stomach one last time, "Fine I promise…I will try to control myself…only if you promise me you will consider moving in with me and my mom" said Zeke seriously.

Taylor looked away from Zeke and continued to eat, "Tay…seriously all I want you to do is consider it" said Zeke quietly.

"I'll think about it" she said. Neither one of them were aware of the scrutiny Troy was giving with his eyes, he was standing in the hallway looking through the window at them. He couldn't believe that not only Gabriella but Taylor had made a complete fool out of him, in front of everyone it seemed like. He watched as Zeke continued to rub Taylor's stomach, while she ate. It burned him up inside knowing that the baby inside of Taylor's wasn't his…and that she claimed to love him, when she was screwing who knows how many people. Both Gabriella and Taylor played him and he was certain it was gonna be a long time before he forgave either one of them.

"You know Troy, jealousy was never a good look on you" said Gabriella walking up on the left side of him, she followed his eyes and noticed Zeke and Taylor talking in the library, "but I guess in this case jealousy is allowed" she said quietly. She instantly picked up on the closeness that they obviously had developed for one another, and it pained her to see it.

"What do you want?" asked Troy harshly, not bothering to look at her.

"The same thing you want, but it's obvious neither one of us can have it" she said ignoring his rudeness.

"Yeah…and what's that…you not speaking to me" he said angrily.

She chuckled slightly, "Don't flatter yourself Bolton, what I want…what we both want is patience, forgiveness, to feel free, but most importantly love…simply put we both want her" she stated softly.

Troy loosened up his tense stance, "but we can't have her" he quietly said. They both continued to look at Zeke as he said something to make Taylor smile and giggle slightly. Both remembering how she use to do the same thing around them, "You know Troy I never apologized for my part in this whole mess. If I was honest with myself and you a long time ago, a lot of this would have been prevented…this whole situation wouldn't have ended up so messy…I mean I still love you…but…but…"

"but you love her more" he said finishing Gabriella's sentence, "Trust me, I totally understand that feeling".

"Yeah…I guess you could say that" she said quietly finally tearing her eyes away from Taylor, "anyway I just wanted to say I'm sorry and I hope one day you can forgive me. I hope one day I can forgive myself" she said.

"I'm not ready to apologize yet Gabriella or forgive you, Taylor, or me. I'm just not ready…I'm angry and I want to stay angry for quite sometime, honestly I want both of you to hurt as much as I do…especially Taylor for screwing all of us at the same time" he said angrily.

"FYI Troy, she is in as much pain as both you and me" said Gabriella getting slightly upset herself.

"Well I want her to be in more…especially since she got pregnant by one of my supposed best buddy" he said walking away from the window.

"You know what Troy, if you actually believe that is Zeke's baby than I feel really sorry for you" said Gabriella walking after him.

Troy stopped abruptly and turned around to face Gabriella, "Honestly I don't want you to feel anything for me…I want you to leave me the hell alone…right now and forever…just stay away from me Montez!" he yelled at Gabriella and stormed off in the opposite direction. Some kids in the hall started laughing as Gabriella watched Troy storm down the hallway. _'He just doesn't get it…and he probably never will'_ she thought, as tears started to pool around in her eyes. She decided to go to the auditorium. It had been the place where she could cry freely and get some solace, away from it all and everyone.

Sharpay walked into the library and noticed Zeke and Taylor immediately smiling about something and talking quietly. She marched right over and sat down; completely ignoring Taylor she stared at Zeke for the longest time, and Zeke stared right back at her, "So Sharpay are we gonna do this or what?" he said harshly, breaking the silence. Taylor noticed the hurt immediately in her eyes, probably one of the only times she had seen Sharpay that vulnerable.

Taylor knew he was still upset about the abortion, but she knew he had to control his anger towards Sharpay. Taylor lightly kicked him under the table, and he immediately got the message, "I'm sorry Sharpay…I didn't mean to be rude" he said.

"Some how I don't believe you Zeke but whatever, I just wanted to hear it from you…I wanted you to tell me the truth about everything…did you really get her pregnant" asked Sharpay bluntly, still ignoring Taylor in the process. Tears started to swarm around Sharpay's eyes again as she visibly tried to brace herself for his answer.

"No" said Zeke, "the baby is not mine". Sharpay sighed heavily in relief, "I'm just helping out a friend who really needed it…she needed me" he said finishing off his sentence.

"So you two never slept together" asked Sharpay quietly.

"No!" said Zeke and Taylor simultaneously.

"Well I had to ask…considering your track record and all McKessie" said Sharpay condescendingly.

"Sharpay!" yelled Zeke sitting up and looking at his former love sternly.

"It's alright Zeke…just chill…you're bringing attention to us" said Taylor quietly addressing Zeke as she glanced at the librarian who was giving the entire table the evil eye.

"You have no right Sharpay; to talk about things you don't know anything about" said Zeke calming down slightly, "let us not forget the recent crime against nature you've committed" said Zeke squaring his eyes at Sharpay.

"Zeke" gasped Taylor, "c'mon you're taking things too far…like seriously". Sharpay looked at Zeke with such disgust as a lone tear slide down her cheek. Seeing Sharpay cry in front of somebody else that wasn't him seemed to bring him back from his momentary lapse in judgment. He sighed heavily, "I'm so sorry Sharpay, I didn't mean to go there…I just…I'm sorry" he said flustered.

"Whatever" she said wiping the tear away and looking down into her lap. Zeke looked her over for the first time really…noticing that she was not in her usual 'Sharpay' gear. She had on a pair of sweats, a white v neck tee shirt, and her hair in a pony tail. Light makeup only and a small pair of earrings he bought her on their two year anniversary. He preferred her like this…the overly glammed up Sharpay was a cover…the real Sharpay was sitting right in front of him, he hadn't seen that Sharpay in school since freshman year.

There was a tense and awkward silence between the small group, Sharpay couldn't bring herself to look at Zeke for fear that she would really start bawling and Taylor felt completely uncomfortable but she couldn't bring her self to get up and move.

"Sharpay…you are my one and only. You are the only girl I have ever been with, my first and hopefully my last…" said Zeke quietly.

"If I'm all of that to you Zeke, than why can't you let me off the hook…why do you keep punishing me" she said quietly as she choked back a cry.

"Sharpay look at me please" asked Zeke. Sharpay hesitated but looked at him directly in the eyes. "It feels like I'm punishing you because it still hurts…I'm dealing with it but it still hurts alright, just give me some time. I'm mourning the loss of my baby and our relationship and right now the only way I'm dealing with it is by not being around you and basically helping out a friend who needs it. There is nothing going on between Taylor and I but friendship, and deep down inside I know you know that. I love you Sharpay…I really do but it hurts to be around you right now. " he said quietly.

Tears escaped from Sharpay's eyes as she got up to leave, but Zeke walked over to her and held her tightly. It was the first time that they had ever shown affection for one another in the presence of any and everybody. Sharpay cried quietly into Zeke's embrace. The only reason Taylor knew she was crying was because she saw the tears falling from her face. Zeke kissed the top of her forehead and let her go. Sharpay walked away from him immediately; there wasn't a good bye or anything, she just left out of the library.

"Are you okay?" asked Taylor softly grabbing his hand and squeezing it as Zeke sat down next to her.

"No…but I will be…I promise" he said quietly.

The bell rang out and Zeke helped Taylor out of her chair. With half of the day gone, both Zeke and Taylor worshiped the fact that school day was almost over.

"You going to basketball practice today?" asked Taylor as they walked out into the hallway. People continued to look and whisper but not as bad as it was that morning.

"Nope…we won the championship already…I don't think it's any point…plus Troy and Chad are gonna be there. I don't feel like dealing with either one of them" said Zeke.

"To tell you the truth I haven't even thought about Chad" said Taylor.

"Well don't start…we don't need anymore problems coming our way" said Zeke smirking, "What class you got coming up?" asked Zeke as they turned the corner onto one of the quieter hallways.

"Advance calculus…another torture hour with Gabriella" said Taylor quietly.

"You don't have any classes with Troy?" asked Zeke quietly, out of curiosity.

"Nope…my whole schedule is AP courses…and the only person I have in them that I know is the other nerd in this school" said Taylor.

"Ah…Gabriella…well the day is almost over…and the torture will be done soon" said Zeke.

"Only to start all over again tomorrow" laughed Taylor.

"Yeah McKessie I hear ya" chuckled Zeke. He walked with her until she reached her next period class; he told her he would see her outside after school and hauled tailed it down the hall, before the late bell rang. Taylor walked into class and sat down at her assigned seat, which was right next to Gabriella. This was the closest they had been in weeks. She felt Gabriella almost tense up at once when she sat down, but she paid it no mind and started on her drill.

Mr. Anderson had started the lesson and was in full teacher mode when Taylor saw an envelope slide onto her desk. It was addressed to her in Gabriella's handwriting. Taylor glanced up at Gabriella, who gave her a sincere look, "Please don't read it until after school" she whispered.

"Gaby…I don't think this is a good idea" whispered Taylor returning the letter back to Gabriella's desk.

"Taylor…please, please read it for me" she said softly, almost whimpering.

Taylor sighed, she could never say no to her once she used that tone of voice. "Fine" she said grabbing the letter and placing it in her notebook.

"Thanks" said Gabriella. It took all of her strength to not grab Taylor's hand and hold it, to feel the same type of closeness she use to when around her. Gabriella had poured all of her feelings into that letter, and she hoped that Taylor would take it seriously, "Take the letter seriously Taylor, I mean it's not a long one, but everything that's in there I truly mean" whispered Gabriella again.

"I said I would read it…okay" whispered Taylor getting annoyed. She moved her chair over slightly, signaling the end of their conversation. She ignored Gabriella for the rest of the period and as soon as the bell rung she jetted out of the door. Before long, it was the end of a long day and the bell finally rang. Taylor waited for Zeke at his car, as she pondered how the day had gone, it was definitely emotionally draining…honestly she couldn't wait until the school year was over. She hadn't told Zeke but she planed on leaving Albuquerque for good, once graduation was over…she decided last week that the best move was to start over fresh, just her and the baby. No drama…no feeling guilty about anything…just her and the new love of her life.

She continued to stand by the car, wandering what was taking Zeke so long. Suddenly she heard some commotion by the school building; she heard shouting and knew immediately that something was wrong. Running over to the front of the building she saw Zeke going at it with Troy…again, both young men were throwing punches at one another, while a big crowd surrounded them and was edging both of them on. Taylor fought to get through the crowd, as soon as she saw them, she gasped out loud. Zeke had a cut under his eye, and Troy's left eye was starting to swell quickly. Zeke threw one last punch with all his might which landing on the left side of Troy's face, causing Troy to stumble and fall to the ground.

"Zeke please stop!" yelled Taylor, "I told you not to fight…I told you not to do this!" screamed Taylor.

Zeke looked at Taylor and he sort of came out of a trance. Blood was trickling down his face, as Troy stumbled to get back up off the ground, "C'mon Baylor let's get at it" he said angrily.

"NO! This has to stop Troy!" screamed Taylor at him. Tears started running down her face as she stared at Troy, "Stop taking this out on Zeke, you wanna punch me than do so, but this has to stop!" she screamed at him. Troy stared at her not knowing what to say.

"I would never put my hands on you Taylor…you know me better than that" he said quietly.

"Do I…" she said as the tears continued to run. Somehow the crowd had grown outside of the building, Gabriella had made her way through and walked up to Taylor and put her hand on Taylor's shoulder, "Don't touch me please…just leave me alone okay Gabriella!" screamed Taylor harshly.

Gabriella moved back in shock, this was the second time today she had been rejected by people who claimed to love her. She turned away and walked through the crowd angrily; "To hell with you McKessie!" she screamed back, "you and Troy can have one another both of you are crazy as hell!"

"Who says I want her" yelled Troy looking at Taylor, "you're tainted goods anyway" he said angrily.

"You obviously want her you dip stick, you're out here fighting like a goon" said Sharpay from the crowd.

"I wasn't talking to you Evans!" said Troy pointing his finger at her, while walking over to her like he was about to do something. Zeke ran over to Troy in a second, and tackled him to the ground. "I told you Bolton about disrespecting the ladies" said Zeke punching Troy in his stomach. Sharpay gasped at Zeke's face, it was the first time she gotten a good look at him since the fight started.

"Damn it Zeke…stop!" pleaded Taylor. Zeke got off of Troy and started walking over to his car, Troy laid on the ground doubling over in pain from the latest punch that Zeke through into his stomach. Taylor looked down at Troy and shook her head, "How I ever fell in love with you I will never know" she said nastily as she followed Zeke to his car.

"I ask myself the same McKessie… everyday I ask myself the same…how the hell I got played by a goody two shoes and a skank!" yelled Troy from the ground. The crowd shook there heads at him and started to walk off.

Taylor ignored Troy as she kept following Zeke, Sharpay kept her pace behind Taylor as Zeke got to the car and hoped in. He was fuming; he couldn't sit still so he jumped back out and started pacing.

"What the hell Zeke" said Taylor once reaching him, she went to touch his face but he backed away and kept pacing, "What got you two going" asked Taylor.

Sharpay walked over and kept quiet, "He kept saying smart stuff in class…he kept talking about how he was free now, and if given the chance he would bang Sharpay…I lost it…he keeps running his mouth…and I'm sick of it" he said, surprisingly quiet.

Sharpay walked away from the both of them, went straight to her car and drove off.

"C'mon Zeke let's get you taken care of" said Taylor as she held out her hand for the keys so she could drive. Zeke gave up the keys without complaining, walked to the other side of the car and got in.

If Taylor had any apprehension about leaving before, it was totally gone now. As soon as graduation was over she was gonna move as far away from here as possible, this whole situation was getting out of control, and she wanted nothing to do with anyone from East High, anymore.


	7. Chapter 7

_Okay here we go again…be ready for some twist and turns in the upcoming chapters. I hope you guys are still with me on this one. This chapter can also go along with my one shot Zekepay, called "Final Goodbye or See You Later"._

**New Start**

Taylor closed her book enthusiastically, "Finally I'm done, no more papers!" she squealed.

"Lucky you" moaned Zeke, "I still have one more assignment to turn in after this one" he said looking at his book bag in disgust.

Graduation was suddenly upon them, faster than either Zeke or Taylor expected. Nothing had changed between Taylor and the rest of the graduating Wildcats; they all just ignored one another, or more like ignored her and Zeke. Gabriella barely looked at her and Troy acted as if she was non existent. Some how Chad and Troy were talking but their friendship had definitely taken a hit, and Sharpay still gave Taylor the evil eye whenever she could. But Zeke stood by her through it all, and with him by her said, she really didn't care about the hate that was being spewed her way, she noticed it alright but she didn't care anymore. Anyway East High and Albuquerque was about to be a distant memory.

"You'll be done soon enough Zeke" said Taylor encouragingly while smiling.

"Why are you so happy?" he asked.

"Because high school is almost over, and I won't have to see these people on an everyday basis anymore. I can just concentrate on the baby and myself" she said confidently while rubbing her stomach. She was officially in her second trimester and her belly was starting to take that round shape.

"Uh huh" said Zeke quietly. He bent down and looked right at Taylor's slightly protruding stomach, "When is your mama gonna tell me she planned on high tailing it out of Albuquerque as soon as the graduation ended" he said innocently talking to Taylor's stomach.

Taylor's mouth dropped open in shock. She thought she had kept her plans to herself, "How the hell did you find out?" she said narrowing her eyes at Zeke.

"Ah ah, Uncle Zeke is talking to the baby right now" he said smartly, "You know your mom is a slight genius" he said continuing to talk to the baby, "but sometimes she lacks common sense". Taylor gasped at his insult and hit him upside of his head, "Zeke stop playing…how did you find out?" she asked impatiently.

"See she failed to realize" he continued, "that she left brochures for the apartment building she's moving into out on her desk" he said still ignoring her and talking to his future niece or nephew, "so I called and noticed that she has leased an apartment in her name, and planned on moving in the day after graduation". Taylor sighed heavily and rolled her eyes to the side, "Damn it…I'm not leaving right after graduation, I'm leaving the following day" she said smartly.

"Yeah damn it" said Zeke seriously, "you weren't gonna tell anybody! Just move clear across the country…to Maryland! What were you thinking?!" he said looking at Taylor.

Taylor clicked her tongue in annoyance, "I was thinking that I wanted to start over, to get away. Just me and my baby, a new and fresh start" she said quietly.

"Sounds more like you're running away to me" said Zeke harshly. He was clearly upset at Taylor for not telling him her plans.

"Zeke!" she said offended, "That's not it at all and you know that…It's just time for me to move on from everything. I can't stand the tension anymore and frankly I don't care about those people, I'm over the whole thing" she said.

"Well I know that not to be true, it's clear you still care about Troy and Gabriella, you just don't want to deal with them because they don't want anything to deal with you at the moment. Besides we're about to graduate Taylor, you won't have to see those people anymore until you're ready!" he said, trying to convince her to stay.

"It's not just Troy and them, it's here too" she said pointing around her room, "This doesn't feel like home to me, I'm clearly not welcomed or wanted here…I just don't want to feel this way anymore Zeke, and I definitely don't want my baby to feel what I'm feeling now. He or she deserves better than that…and a fresh start is the only thing I can think of to make sure my baby gets the love and caring it deserves" she said quietly.

Zeke looked around her room quietly before responding, "I understand that Taylor, I really do. I guess I'm just pissed because you didn't tell me and I don't understand why" he said putting his eyes back on Taylor.

"Because Zeke…I know you" she sighed, "you would drop everything and come with me…and I ruined your life enough. You and Sharpay are at odds, and your parents think you're irresponsible. I just want you to go to college and do what makes you happy and not worry about me and my many mistakes" she said softly while holding her head down.

"What if what makes me happy is taking care of one of my best friends" said Zeke just as softly, looking at Taylor. She snapped her head up quickly and looked at the man in front of her, "You consider me one of your best friends" she asked questioningly, raising her eyebrows.

"Well yeah…we've gotten really close of these last couple of months. I mean the only person I've ever been this close to was Sharpay. Taylor you're not this mean person that people keep trying to make you out to be. You're a human being who made some mistakes, that's no reason to treat you with such disrespect. You need and want a friend…and I'm that guy" he said quietly, "besides I've been packed for the past couple of weeks" he said nonchalantly.

"Zeke you are not going with me!" said Taylor emphatically, "Not gonna happen!" she said shaking her head, "You're gonna stay here and go to school and be with your family and Sharpay…okay" she said.

"Taylor please…you can't tell me what I can and cannot do. I already told my parents…my dad gave me two grand, and I already let Sharpay know" he said irritably.

Taylor's mouth hung open, "Zeke…I…you can't go okay…and that's final!" she said trying her best to sound authoritative.

"Taylor I'm going and you can't stop me" said Zeke calmly.

"Zeke! Don't disregard my feelings about this…I don't feel comfortable about you leaving your family and running across the country with me!" said Taylor.

"Taylor!" was Zeke's only response. Somehow Taylor knew that the conversation was over and she shouldn't press the issue…for now. Zeke had a way of letting you know that once his mind was made up, there was nothing you could do to change it, and he had a way of doing that by saying one word…usually your name…and in such a tone, that you had to look at him twice to make sure it came from him.

Taylor got up and walked to her desk to put her final paper and her textbook in her back pack, "So when did you tell Sharpay?" asked Taylor quietly.

"The night of the prom" he responded, looking down at his paper he needed to finish.

All of the senior activities they had missed out on by choice…especially prom. Instead Zeke took Taylor out to a nice Italian restaurant and took her back to his place where they slow danced in the middle of his living room for most of the night. After their impromptu dancing he dropped her back off at her place because he wanted to go see Sharpay for the rest of the evening. Needless to say she didn't hear back from Zeke until the following afternoon where he looked a little anguished but she didn't press the issue.

"I'm guessing she didn't take it to well" said Taylor.

"Nope…not at all" he said, "Neither did my parents…but somehow my mom convinced my dad to give me some money. He used the money he had saved up for college for me…only gave me two grand, and said I was on my own for the rest" said Zeke shutting his book, he had enough of school work for the day. "How did you end up getting the money for the apartment?" asked Zeke curiously.

"Believe or not my dad" said Taylor sitting back down on the bed.

"Seriously" said Zeke arching his eyebrow.

"Yeah…I told my mom about me moving and she obviously told him. He walked in early one morning and handed me an envelope and walked out without saying one word. I opened it and it was a bank account with my name on it. It had about seventeen grand in the account…I'm guessing it was the money they had saved up for me to go to college also. Not to mention I still had money left over from what I earned at Lava Springs…so I'm pretty set, just gotta get this graduation over with" she said.

"Don't you mean we're set" said Zeke smirking.

Taylor chuckled lightly. It wasn't gonna be possible to get rid of Zeke anytime soon…and secretly she was grateful for it, "Yeah I guess we're set to go" she said smiling back at him.

The last week of school for seniors went by very hastily. Before Zeke and Taylor knew it they were seated with their graduating class in the middle of the graduation ceremony. Taylor fit her graduation robe nicely; you could barely notice the little person growing inside of her. To her amazement both her parents showed up and cheered her on as she walked across the stage. Between Zeke and her parents they were the only ones clapping that she really noticed. Gabriella had beaten her out for valedictorian only by a couple of points, but she was happy none the less. She didn't have to worry about speeches…all she had to worry about was her new start with her baby, and her pretend baby's daddy Zeke.

When Zeke name was called out, Taylor stood up and clapped and cheered along with Zeke's parents. She was so proud of her new best friend and the sacrifices he was making for her and her offspring. Before long the final Pomp and Circumstance was played and the graduates officially had a high school diploma; Taylor was standing in a circle with her parents and Zeke's parents, Taylor's mom was trying to convince her and Zeke to eat something as a family before they headed to the airport, and Mrs. Baylor had just informed them that she made a huge dinner for both her and Zeke and she wasn't going to let her grandchild starve to death on an airplane heading for the east coast. What they didn't know was that weren't actually leaving until the next day and had gotten a hotel, so they could enjoy their last night in Albuquerque together…but in style.

Zeke was conceding defeat, much to Taylor's annoyance, when he noticed Sharpay heading towards them from the corner of his eye, "Um…Zeke can I talk to you in private" said Sharpay softly once she had finally reached their self made circle. Zeke sighed, "Sure" he responded quietly as he turned and walked with Sharpay to a nearby tree. They stood still in an awkward silence for sometime, "So what's up Sharpay?" asked Zeke quietly.

"So today's the day you leave?" said Sharpay suddenly.

"Ah…actually its tomorrow, we just wanted to get away from everything today" replied Zeke.

Sharpay looked away from him and starred into the distance, "So you're definitely going to leave?" asked Sharpay as her eyes started to tear.

"Yes" he said strongly, "if this is all you're going to ask Sharpay, than I'm about to leave. I've got some last minute packing to finish and Taylor and I need to get to the hotel…." said Zeke about to walk away.

"I just wanted to say goodbye is all…you haven't said two words to me since prom and I just wanted to spend sometime with you before you left" said Sharpay angrily.

"Why didn't you just say that?" asked Zeke quietly.

"Because…it's hard for me…to just let you go. And you were gonna leave without saying anything" she said quietly obviously hurt by Zeke's lack of attention.

"I honestly didn't think you wanted me around Sharpay, we haven't exactly been on good terms, and that was way before prom night" he said quietly. "Look Sharpay I have a lot to do before we get on the plane so…I guess this is goodbye for now" he said softly as his eyes started to pool with water. He reached out and pulled her into a tight hug, while he nuzzled his face into her hair.

Sharpay fought back tears as she pulled away, "Unacceptable Zeke…I'm having a party, and it would mean so much to me if you showed up there for a proper goodbye" she said quietly.

Zeke sighed heavily, "I'll try my best" he said quietly.

"That's all I'll ask of you" she said, as she walked away abruptly. If she didn't leave she would turn into a babbling mess of emotions and nobody needs to see that on the day you're supposed to celebrate.

Taylor sat in the bed at the hotel room she and Zeke had reserved for themselves, rubbing her stomach contently. The dinner at Mrs. Baylor was actually really good, and now she knew where Zeke had acquired his good cooking skills. Zeke had left some time ago, stating he had to run an _'errand'_ but she knew that he went to talk to Sharpay. Taylor had said her goodbyes to her parents, her mom showed her affection for the first time in weeks by hugging her for a really long time and giving her well wishes. Her dad even got slightly emotional as he embraced her once Taylor and Zeke were ready to leave. Zeke's dad gave him some advice and a pat on the back. Mr. Baylor didn't say anything to Taylor…he was obviously suspicious of her and she knew it…she smartly kept her distance from him.

Even though she was about to leave New Mexico for good, she still thought of Troy often…not only Troy but Gabriella. But more often than not her thoughts were always about Troy and his baby that was growing inside of her. She thought about if she was making the right decision, or if she would be a good parent, or even if her baby would love her. It was hard to let Troy go, even though he was being a complete ass she truly loved him…maybe even more than Gabriella…and that scared her completely.

She heard the door unlock and she knew Zeke was back from his _'errand'_. Zeke walked in and plopped down on the bed, resting his head in Taylor's lap, "So…how was Sharpay?" she asked knowingly. Zeke just grunted while Taylor rubbed his head softly, "You know you're going to miss her…so stop frontin" she said.

"Yeah I know…but I made a promise and I'm sticking to it" he said quietly as his eyes closed in enjoyment to Taylor's caressing, "You won't believe what she gave me as a going away present" he said.

"What…some lovin" she said laughing, "that's not a surprise at all".

"Ha ha, very funny McKessie…but no, even though that would have been nice, but she gave me this" he said digging down into his leg pocket. He grabbed the envelope and handed it to Taylor. "Oh my goodness Zeke, there's nothing but fresh hundreds in here" said Taylor in shock, "How much is it?" she questioned.

"Nine thousand" he said nonchalantly.

"Nine…nine thousand dollars Zeke! She just handed it to you!" shouted Taylor.

"Yeah…I tried to give it back but she wasn't having it. I'm just gonna open up an account when we get there and put half of the money in, and keep the other half for getting the apartment set-up and expenses" said Zeke, "C'mon Tay, you stopped rubbing my temple…I feel a headache coming on".

"Urgh…I spoil you too much Baylor" said Taylor rubbing her hands through his hair and then rubbing his temples, "You need a hair cut also" she said.

"I'll get one when we get to Maryland" he said yawning. "I'm guessing Sharpay use to do this for you" said Taylor continuing her massage.

"Yeah…she did, now it's your job" he said laughing, "I think it's a fair trade".

"I think so too" said Taylor laughing.

They both showered and got ready for bed Zeke suggested they watch a movie and just relax on their last night in New Mexico. Zeke ordered some movie snacks, and started the movie. Zeke decided he would lye in Taylor's bed until she fell asleep, which he knew would be soon because she had an exhausting day. The movie started and within ten minutes Taylor's eyes were almost completely shut, when a sudden knock appeared at the door, freighting Taylor out of her slumber and confusing Zeke.

"Did anybody know where we would be staying?" asked Zeke getting up to answer the door.

"Not to my knowledge" replied Taylor sitting up on the bed.

Zeke opened the door and was completely surprised, "Gabriella" he said shocked.

"Hey Zeke…I was wandering if Taylor was here" she said softly.

"Uh yeah" he said opening the door wider and standing to the side, "Um how did you find out we were here?" he asked as she walked into the hotel room.

"Sharpay told me, she actually bought me here" she said.

"Sharpay is here?!" said Zeke loudly.

"Uh yeah, she's actually waiting in the car…she said she already said her goodbye to you" said Gabriella quietly, as she looked Taylor directly in the eyes, "I just wanted my chance" she said while sitting on the bed next to Taylor.

Taylor broke eye contact with Gabriella and glanced at Zeke, who hunched his shoulders in confusion, "How did Sharpay find out where we were staying?" asked Taylor.

"It's Sharpay…she does her homework" said Gabriella.

Zeke shook his head in understanding and went and sat down on the empty bed. There was complete silence as each person was trying to gather thoughts, "Uh Zeke, would you mind giving us some privacy" said Gabriella quietly. Zeke stood up to leave but Taylor stopped him suddenly.

"No…" said Taylor loudly, "I want him to stay, whatever you have to say to me you can say it in front of him" she said assuredly. She motioned with her eyes for Zeke to sit back down, which he did quickly.

"Okay then" started Gabriella, "Um, I'm kinda upset that you didn't tell me you were leaving…"

"Gabrielle look…" said Taylor.

"Please let me finish uninterrupted" said Gabriella seriously. Taylor closed her mouth as she looked at her former lover, she could tell Gabriella was very serious and she knew just by looking her in the eyes how much she had hurt her.

"You know before we started sleeping with one another…we were best friends. And I'm mad because my best friend didn't have the decency to tell me she was leaving. No matter what happened between us and how angry we were with one another, I still expected you to tell me something as important as this and at least to give me a proper goodbye" she said breathing heavily, while fighting back tears. "Did you ever even love me?" she questioned quietly, looking down at her hands.

Taylor sighed, "Of course I love you Gaby".

"Then why are you treating me with such disregard…I mean Taylor you're moving across the country and you didn't even tell me. You haven't talked to me in weeks" said Gabriella with tears coming down her eyes, "You can't love somebody and continually treat them like this" she said trying to wipe the tears away from her face.

"Gabriella please give me a break…I love you and I always have and I always will. You're mad because I don't love you the way you want me to…you want us to be together…be girlfriends in the romantic sense and I can't give you that right now…I don't think I will ever be able to give you that again. I have to look out for more than just me…I have a baby now and my first priority _will _be my baby not my romantic life" rushed out Taylor.

Gabriella looked up at Taylor, "You never read my letter did you?" she asked.

"What?!" asked Taylor confused.

"The letter I gave you Tay…did you ever read it" said Gabriella annoyed.

"No I didn't…I've had other stuff to worry about" said Taylor honestly, "I don't know what you want from me Gabriella but this is getting old quick. I've said sorry I don't know how many times, it's up to you to forgive me and move on. Damn, this is part of the reason I'm leaving I can't handle all of this drama anymore" she said exasperated.

Gabriella looked at Taylor completely hurt. Tears rushed out of her eyes as she looked at the woman she loved more than anything, it was truly over and all she needed was the confirmation from Taylor herself. Tears started to fall out of Taylor's eyes unwillingly, "What do you want from me Gaby" she said quietly.

Gabriella stood up, "I just wanted to say goodbye and I was hoping you would say goodbye to me too" said Gabriella quietly as she walked towards the door. Taylor got up and rushed after her and turned Gabriella around, she pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry Gaby but I have to do this for me and my baby. I love you and you will always be one of my best friends and one of my first loves. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner and if I hurt you more…that was never my intention. I guess I'm saying goodbye and thank you for everything you have ever done for me".

Gabriella pulled away from her and looked Taylor in the eyes, "Bye Tay, I hope your new life is everything you want it to be. Send me a pick of the baby when it gets here" sad Gabriella sadly. She walked up to Taylor and kissed her softly on the lips, Taylor deepened the kiss, against her better judgment; whenever it came to kissing Gabriella she was always weak. Gabriella pulled away and kissed her softly on the lips again before walking to the door to make her exit, "Bye Tay" she said softly and closed the door.

"Bye Gaby" she replied just as softly. She walked over and sat across from Zeke, "You're doing the right thing" said Zeke.

"Yeah I know…I just don't like hurting her" said Taylor rolling her eyes and lying down on her bed, "I can't wait until were out of here Zeke, tomorrow can't come fast enough".

"I hear ya" he said lying down on his bed also. "You know Taylor that kiss between you and Gabriella was pretty hot…I can see why she didn't want to let you go so easily" he said laughing. Taylor picked up her spare pillow and threw it directly at Zeke, to which he responded in laughter, "Hey you know I'm telling the truth".

"I hope that one day, I can catch you in the act with Sharpay" she said giggling. Taylor waited for the laughing to subside, "You think she told Troy?" she asked quietly.

"She probably will eventually, but not tonight" he responded quietly. "You didn't want to see Sharpay?" she asked.

"Naw…we made our peace for now" he said quietly. "It's sleepy time now Taylor, we've got a big day tomorrow. Get some rest" he said closing his eyes and getting comfortable.

"Alright….thanks" she said quietly yawning. Her new life was starting tomorrow but all she could think about was her old one. The same questions kept lingering and she was nervous about what the future held. Even though she was scared beyond belief she knew that moving on was the best thing for her and her new family. She listened to Zeke snoring lightly and watched as his chest moved up and down while she rubbed her stomach. She continued to stare at him and think about her past and future until she finally fell asleep.

**8 Months Later**

Zeke was in Taylor's room watching his nephew sleep; he was a little over a month old. To say he was the perfect mix of Troy and Taylor was an understatement. He had a head full of dark and large curled hair, a mix between the shape of Troy and Taylor's eyes, and the color of his eyes was a perfect shade of blue just like his fathers. He had Troy's smile and Taylor's cute button nose and dimples, and he had a light tan to him, but Taylor swore he would get a little darker as he got older.

Zeke looked over at Taylor's sleeping frame and remembered back to the day his nephew was born. He shuddered as he remembered all the labor pains that Taylor was in the loud noises she made while giving birth. Once the baby was out they immediately handed him to Taylor, and Zeke cut the umbilical cord. Zeke watched as Taylor fell in love again for the third time…some how he knew this love was deeper than all the others combined. Taylor beckoned Zeke to her and she told him the baby's name.

"_Zeke I already know what I'm gonna name him" she said as tears were streaming down her face._

"_And what's that Tay" he said smiling down at the both of them like a proud papa._

_She took a deep breath, "Tristan Gabriel Ezekiel McKessie" she said happily looking at her son and putting her pinky finger in his mouth. The baby started to suck her finger instantly as she giggled at his action, "I'm still confused on whether to hyphen his name as Baylor or Bolton" she said seriously._

"_Good Lord Taylor, how many names is the boy gonna have" said Zeke laughing._

"_Well I gave a name for each person in my life, Tristan for Troy and me, Gabriel for Gabriella, Ezekiel for you and McKessie for me again" she said innocently. Honestly I named them in order of the people I fell in love with._

"_You fell in love with me Taylor" said Zeke nervously. His heart still belonged to Sharpay._

"_Of course I did…as a brother silly" she said while laughing at him._

"_Well in that case it should be Bolton…because like it or not that's his dad" said Zeke knowingly._

"_But you're gonna help raise him" she said knowingly and earnestly._

"_Yeah I am, but as Uncle Zeke…not daddy" he said quietly._

"_Than in that case" she said looking down on her son, "you are officially named Tristan Gabriel Ezekiel McKessie-Bolton" she said smiling at him._

"_Sounds good to me Tay" Zeke said smiling at them both._

Zeke looked at the small body of his nephew, he was wandering when he was gonna call Troy and tell him that his son had been born. Taylor was adamant that she wasn't ready to deal with Troy and his foolishness, from the emails Zeke had gotten from Sharpay…Troy was still be very immature about the whole situation. She wanted her son to feel love around him at all times, and not feel rejected. Zeke said he would hold off calling Troy but he didn't no how long he would wait…a father should know about their child no matter the circumstances.

**Back in Albuquerque, New Mexico**

Gabriella looked up as Troy walked into her hospital room. She didn't say anything to him, but Troy made his way over to her and sat down on the bed. Troy looked at Gabriella and genially smiled at her, "How you feeling Gabriella?" he asked.

"Very tired" she answered honestly, "Who knew it would be so hard" she said softly.

"Yeah who knew" said Troy. There was an awkward silence between the two, "Gabriella I'm sorry…I've been a total jerk to you. I just didn't know how to deal with everything…I was hurting and I wanted you to hurt too. I'm sorry for cheating on you and not being honest with you and myself" he said softly.

"I'm sorry too Troy and I understand…I really do but you owe a bigger apology to another person" she said quietly.

Troy sighed weakly, "Yeah I know" he said. He looked over to the right of the room and stared. Gabriella followed his eyes knowing immediately what he was looking at.

"What's his name?" he asked quietly.

"Jackson…I always knew you liked that name" she said quietly.

"His middle name?" he questioned.

"Taylor…self explanatory" she said, chuckling to herself. Troy instinctively laughed knowing exactly what she meant.

"And his last name?" he asked.

She sighed heavily and sat back in her bed, "Troy go meet your son" she said as tears started to come down her eyes.

Troy walked over to the crib on the right side of room and looked at his son. He was the spitting image of his mother, except for his eyes. They were blue like his; it was almost like looking into his own eyes. Tears slide down his face, _'How can something this beautiful come from a situation that was so messed up'_ he thought to himself. Troy Bolton had officially fallen in love, as he picked his son up. He didn't know why but Taylor popped into his head at that moment, as she often did, he knew she had her baby by now, but he started to wander if he had more than one child as Gabriella had been suggesting for months.


	8. Chapter 8

_Sorry for the delay guys, but it's the end of the school year and that's a really busy time for me, not to mention my ridiculous summer job schedule. I hope you guys enjoy this installment. Thank you so much for the love and reviews and alerts…they really mean a lot and I try really hard for you to understand each characters position. Without further ado…here's the next chapter._

**Confrontation**

Taylor lye in bed wide awake; any minute now her two year old son, Tristan would bust through her bedroom door demanding her to wake up and watch cartoons with him. She hadn't gotten much sleep that night because she was up pondering about what Zeke had told her the night before.

"_Hey Tay" he said walking through her bedroom door in her pajamas, "Can we talk for a minute?" he asked seriously._

"_Yeah sure" she said putting down her book she was studying from. She took online classes at night and watched Tristan during the day while Zeke worked the early shift at a four star restaurant. Culinary school really paid off for him. In the evening Zeke watched Tristan while Taylor did her classes online, their schedule really worked out great for the both of them. Taylor showed her appreciation for Zeke by keeping their now three bedroom apartment spotless, washing his laundry, and giving him advice about how to deal with the Evans twin that wasn't her favorite. And he always gave her advice on what to do about the "little Troy" that ran around the house._

"_How would you feel about Sharpay coming to visit?" said Zeke quite frankly, while he sat on Taylor's bed._

_Taylor took a deep breath before responding, "I would be cool with it Zeke…you know that" she replied._

_Zeke looked up at Taylor, "You're not just bulling me are you…I mean seriously how would you feel about her coming here? I know she isn't your favorite person in the world" he said._

"_No she isn't Zeke, but you love her-and I know you miss her desperately, so why not" said Taylor hunching her shoulders._

"_Because she would probably be bringing a guess with her" said Zeke quietly._

"_As long as it's not Troy or Gabriella-than I'm cool" said Taylor quietly._

_Zeke turned his head away from Taylor, suddenly becoming interested in her bedroom curtains. Taylor gasped, "It's one of them isn't it?" she said becoming slightly angered._

_Zeke nodded his head yes, while still looking at the pattern on her curtains._

"_Which one?" asked Taylor._

_Zeke looked down at her comforter and started to pick at the lent that wasn't there, like he didn't hear her, "Ezekiel Baylor…which one?" she said raising her voice._

"_Gabriella" he said scrunching up his face. _

_Taylor sighed heavily and sat back on her bed, she really didn't know what to say or how to react. She hadn't talked to Gabriella since the night her and Zeke left home. "Taylor apparently Sharpay and Gabriella have become really close after the past couple of years…almost like best friends from what I gathered from Sharpay's emails. Sharpay insisted that she come with her…besides isn't about time you hashed things out with her" he said looking at Taylor, "especially since you refuse to call Troy and tell him the truth" said Zeke finishing._

"_What the hell does Troy have to do with this, and from my recollection you're the one who lied to him about Tristan-not me…and I thought I finished things off with Gabriella that night" said Taylor almost yelling._

"_Did you really Taylor?" he said standing up to leave while looking at Taylor, "and believe me Troy has a lot to do with the way things are between all of you…whether you want to admit it or not"._

"_What!" said Taylor throwing her hands up in the air._

"_Look Tay, I don't want to fight. You might think that things are over between you and Gabriella but I can guarantee that she doesn't feel the same way". _

_Taylor rolled her eyes and scoffed, "I swear that was the biggest mistake I've ever made" she said quietly._

"_Yeah well Gabriella doesn't see it that way-trust me. And I honestly don't think you see it that way either" said Zeke turning to leave, "besides I just was giving you a heads up, Sharpay had been planning to visit for sometime…she just told me about Gabriella this week and the plans couldn't be changed" said Zeke walking out and going to his bedroom._

"_Whatever" said Taylor rolling her eyes. It was clear she wasn't going to get any studying done tonight. She threw her books onto the floor, shut her lamp light off, rolled over and tried her best to get to sleep, but she knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon._

"Mommy!" heard Taylor; her son was screaming her name as he burst through the door to wake her up for their morning ritual, "Mommy I'm hungry" said the little two year old Tristan innocently. Tristan climbed onto her bed and started jumping up and down.

"Go get Uncle Zeke and tell him to make you something" said Taylor groaning and pretending to be sleep.

"He told me to come and get you" said Tristan still jumping on the bed.

Taylor sighed and sat up, she caught Tristan in the mid-jump and grabbed him into a big hug, "I love you baby" she said spreading kisses all over his forehead. "I love you too mommy…I'm still hungry" he said smiling up at her. Taylor was caught into those blue eyes she had become so accustomed to, he had the exact same eyes as his dad, not to mention his temperament…but Tristan's brains he definitely got from his mom.

"Alright buddy, let's go get you something to eat. How does eggs and toast sound?" she asked her son while getting out of bed, and helping him down as well.

"Good" said Tristan as he trailed his mother, they walked into the kitchen together and Taylor poured some milk into his sip-cup and directed him to the couch so she could put on his favorite episode of the Backyardigans. As she was cooking breakfast, she couldn't help but to go back to the last time she saw Gabriella and the conversation she had with Zeke last night, _'What did Zeke mean by it not being over between us…I ended the relationship awhile ago'_ she thought as she decided to cook some turkey sausage as well.

"I've moved on" she said quietly to herself, "why can't everyone else do the same".

"Because there's a little person involved" said Zeke from the door way. Taylor looked up and sucked her teeth, "I'm not up for it this morning Zeke" she said quietly, putting some bread into the toaster. She plated her eggs and sausage and sat it down on the dinning room table, walking past Zeke aggressively.

"I'm not trying to get into it Tay, but the reason your looking for is sitting in the living room watching television" said Zeke as he sat down and helped himself to Taylor's breakfast. "It's nice to have someone else cook for a change" said Zeke.

"You say that everyday that I cook breakfast" said Taylor putting a cartoon of orange juice and a plate of toast on the table.

"Huh…it's still nice" said Zeke hunching his shoulders, "Tristan come in here and eat boy" said Zeke loudly.

Taylor heard her son slide off of the couch and run into the dinning room. He ran up to her and held his arms up, Taylor picked him up gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and placed him in his high chair, "You want to say grace bud" asked Taylor.

"Yeah" replied Tristan quietly.

Zeke and Taylor bowed their heads as Tristan said his prayers over the morning breakfast. After he was through Taylor dug in to fix her son's plate. She was clearly in a bad mood and Zeke new it, _'Man sometimes I think we are married'_ thought Zeke to himself while shaking his head. He decided to fix his plate and eat in silence, the best way to avoid a confrontation with Taylor.

"Mommy you sad" asked Tristan as he took a bite of his sausage.

"No honey…mommy's just a little tired" she said rubbing his cheek.

"Uncle Zeke you sad" he asked turning to his uncle.

"Nope I'm not sad buddy…actually I'm kind of happy" he said looking at his nephew and smiling.

"Why?" asked Tristan innocently.

"Because my good friend is coming to visit" said Zeke smiling ear to ear.

"Really…who" asked Tristan looking at his uncle excitedly, with big eyes.

"Auntie Sharpay" said Zeke; he noticed out the corner of his eyes that Taylor rolled his eyes at the mention of Sharpay's name.

"Really! Auntie Pay is coming" said Tristan happily. He hadn't quite gotten use to saying her name correctly.

"Yep…and you can finally meet her without looking at her pictures" said Zeke laughing a little at his nephew's excitement.

"Okay" said Tristan smiling. "Is daddy coming too?" he questioned.

Taylor looked up at Zeke and he gave her a knowing look, "No Tristan…I don't think your daddy's coming this time…but maybe next time…okay" he said quietly.

Tristan shook his head and continued to dig into his breakfast. Taylor got up suddenly and walked into the kitchen with her plate, she was trying extremely hard not to cry in front of her son. Zeke had known Taylor long enough to know when she was getting upset, so he decided against his better judgment to go and check on her, "Tristan are you finished?" asked Zeke. The adorable two year old shook his head yes and held up his hands, so he could get out of his high chair. Zeke picked him up and sat him down gently on the floor; Tristan took off and ran straight to the couch to finish watching his morning programming. _'Hopefully that will keep him occupied for a while'_ thought Zeke.

Zeke made his way into the kitchen where Taylor was holding her face in her hands, he could tell she was crying quietly to herself, "Taylor what's wrong?" asked Zeke walking up behind her and gently massaging her shoulders.

Taylor shrugged off Zeke and moved to the sink as she wiped her eyes, "Nothing" she said quietly as she begun to wash the dishes.

"People don't cry over nothing Tay" said Zeke quietly.

"I don't feel like it today…alright" she replied.

"You don't feel like what Taylor, I'm trying to find out what's wrong with my friend and you're about to bite my head of!" said Zeke incredulously.

"I'm tired of being the bad guy! Gosh, I don't feel like being bothered right now Ezekiel!" shouted Taylor.

They both heard Tristan jump off the couch and run into the kitchen. He didn't say anything but just looked between the two adults with a curious look, "Hey bud" started Zeke, "Why don't you go to your room and I'll be in to get you ready for the park…you know today's my day off" said Zeke addressing Tristan.

"Okay, can we go see the animals?" questioned the young boy.

"Sure we can go to the zoo today, if you would like" said Zeke smiling.

"Yea!!!!!!!!" screamed out Tristan as he ran to his room. Zeke went and closed the door slightly, leaving it ajar so that he could still hear everything that was going on with Tristan. Taylor took to cleaning off the dinning room table and transferring the left over food back to the kitchen. Zeke walked into the room and watched as she continued to busy herself and not acknowledge his presence.

"Are you mad at me?" asked Zeke, "And don't tell me you're tired of me and you don't feel like being bothered" he said as he looked at her exasperated face. "What have I done to piss you off so bad?"

Taylor walked into the kitchen and continued to work on cleaning it spotless, she tried her best to ignore Zeke but she knew that he was more stubborn than she was and it wasn't any use and trying to keep this 'silent' treatment up.

"I…I just want to be over and done with this whole situation. I don't understand why Gabriella has to come here, we're over and done and have been for over two years now. I just know by both her and Sharpay coming here there is gonna be a whole lot of unnecessary drama…and I've had enough to last two life times" said Taylor quickly.

"Why do you think there's gonna be drama?" asked Zeke.

"C'mon" said Taylor rolling her eyes so far up into her head, Zeke thought they were going to get stuck there, "There's always drama between Gabriella and myself, not to mention her and Sharpay are supposed to be "best friends" now…I just don't feel comfortable with it" said Taylor.

"Than why agree to let them come?" said Zeke a little frustrated.

"Because you really want to see her" said Taylor, "it's not rocket science…you miss Sharpay, and if this is the opportunity for you to see her than so be it, I'll make the sacrifice…just like you made the sacrifice for me" she said not looking directly into his eyes.

Awkwardness appeared to be happening between the odd pair again, it was as if they were use to feeling uncomfortable around one another when dealing with matters of the heart, no matter how old some of the issues seemed to be.

"Well if you can get through this than you know what the next step is…right?" questioned Zeke.

Taylor knew what he was alluding to but she continued to play dumb by shrugging her shoulders, "I don't understand what you mean" said Taylor nonchalantly.

"Come off it Taylor! You know exactly what I'm talking about! When the hell are you gonna tell Troy about the little person that's in the other room?" said Zeke angrily.

"Why do I have to?" said Taylor quietly. She was angry and Zeke knew it but he was tired of playing this game with this girl, "Tristan knows who his father is thanks to you…he doesn't have to have a relationship with him…he has you" said Taylor as her eyes shined with unshed tears.

"That's bullshit Taylor and you know it. Showing him pictures is not gonna compensate for him having a father…not an uncle. He wants his dad…he's starting to ask about Troy everyday, and that's not a coincidence. He realizes even at this young age that his father isn't around…and you can thank yourself for that because you passed him that intelligence gene" said Zeke giving the air quotes sign.

Taylor rolled her eyes at his last statement, "Look Zeke I've made my decision and its final…he's not gonna meet Troy…period" said Taylor strongly even though her voice was barely above a whisper.

"You know this is about you, not wanting to face Bolton, and it's indirectly affecting your son, and you better hope that Tristan can forgive you for what you're doing one day. Everybody needs there father" said Zeke.

"I like how you're turning this around on me Zeke…you are the one who lied to him in the first place!" said Taylor angrily.

"Yeah I did…but I said after the baby was born, we would tell Troy immediately…you're the one who cried and screamed no! Not me! I've been wanting to tell Troy about his son since the day he was born, but for whatever reasons you have put a halt on that, and that is totally and completely your fault! You're being selfish Taylor…and it's time you realize that!" said Zeke. He was breathing heavily as he turned to walk away.

"Are you tired of having me around…because if that's the case me and mine can go and you can do with ever you want with Sharpay!" said Taylor.

Zeke sighed heavily as his back was facing her, "You know that's not it McKessie, and don't try to play that button. I'm sick of you lying to a father about his child, I'm sick of you not dealing with the reality of the situation that you're in. It's time you handled your business, because if you don't things will get a lot worse" he said continuing to walk towards his room. He stopped at the door before he entered, "Some how I remember telling you this a little over two years ago in the library at East High, you can't keep lying to people and expect it to work out…the only one you're hurting in the end is yourself" he said quietly looking at Taylor who had a stone look on her face. If looks could kill he would be dead immediately.

"I'm taking Tristan out today, can you have him ready in a half hour, please" he said as he closed his bedroom door.

Taylor let tears slip down her face as she was pondering over the conversation her and Zeke just shared. She couldn't understand for the life of her why she could never seem to keep her personal life in tact…she was tired of being the bad person. Why can't I just raise my son and just live my life? She could understand letting Troy know about Tristan…Zeke was right she should have done that ages ago. But why should she have to give Gabriella the time of day? Why couldn't she just move the hell on and leave her out of it?

* * *

Sharpay walked out to her black Saab that was sitting in her driveway and hopped in. She was on her way to Gabriella's to finalize the plans for their visit with Zeke and Taylor. She squealed in excitement as she thought about the prospect of being with Zeke again, for him to be holding her in his arms and kissing her ever so gently. Words couldn't express how much she missed him and how much she respected him for sacrificing a lot to help a friend…even if that friend was Taylor.

Sharpay rolled her eyes as she thought about the dark beauty. She couldn't help the fact that her dislike for Taylor had grown hard and fast, like cancer over the past couple of years. Not only did Taylor take away the love of her life but she hurt Gabriella so deeply, that Gabriella hadn't recovered yet and to top it all off, she was keeping the worst secret of all…not telling Troy that he has another son. Jackson should know that he has a brother, and Tristan should know who his father is. From what Sharpay gathered from Zeke, Taylor has had plenty of time to break the news to Troy, but she has chosen to keep Tristan a secret and that pissed Sharpay off more and more as time went on.

She turned the corner onto the next street, which coincidently was where the Sheraton hotel was. That was the hotel she took Gabriella to the night that Zeke had said goodbye to her, for what seemed like for good. She decided to wait in the car that night, she couldn't handle seeing Zeke again and she felt sorry for Gabriella that Taylor didn't even tell her she was leaving.

_Sharpay drummed her fingers along the steering wheel of her new present she got for graduation from her dad. She couldn't believe she was out here waiting at this time of night for Gabriella Montez to finalize her goodbyes. I mean she and Gabriella never really spoke too often in high school, and when they did it wasn't on good terms because Gabriella always thought she was trying to steal Troy away; Sharpay knew she had played that role perfectly. But she couldn't help but feel sorry for her when she broke the news that Taylor and Zeke were leaving for good the next morning, when Gabriella walked up and asked her why Zeke had been at her graduation party. Her face had immediately broken down from the shock of it all, and Sharpay offered her a ride over to finish whatever she and Taylor had left. She decided it was best to stay in the car, because she had said her goodbyes to Zeke, and she didn't think she could handle trying to go through that again._

_Sharpay kinda chortled to herself, as she thought about the idea of Taylor and Gabriella being lovers. It made sense to her now that she looked back at things but she never thought those two would act on the feelings that were always present between them. Sharpay glanced at the door to the Sheraton, she immediately saw Gabriella rushing to her car, a mess of black hair following her, clearly upset from whatever had just taken place._

_Gabriella jumped in the car, with one smooth movement she put her seat belt on and looked in the opposite direction of Sharpay out of the passenger window. Sharpay could see the tears streaming down her face as she noticed Gabriella trying her best to keep herself composed. Sharpay decided it was best to start driving and not pressure her into anything she didn't want to talk about. She put her new Saab into drive as she made her way through downtown Albuquerque to the Montez residence. The more she drove the louder Gabriella's crying became, before long she was heaving and gasping for air, and the tears were coming down in a steady stream. _

_Sharpay made it to the front of Gabriella's house and turned off her car off, "Gabriella we're here" said Sharpay softly, "You wanna talk about what happened back there?"_

_Gabriella looked up at Sharpay as if she was some confusing math problem she was trying to work out, she shook her head no instinctively and continued to cry. Sharpay decided it was best to let her calm down and work out what to do next, she honestly didn't mind, and she understood better than anyone what she was going through at that moment._

_They sat in silence as Gabriella sobs subsided to small sniffles, "Thanks…Sharpay for the ride, I'm sorry if I inconvenienced you in any way" said Gabriella quietly._

"_You didn't inconvenience me…I know what your going through and I just felt like I needed to help" said Sharpay sincerely._

_Gabriella shook her head slightly and looked towards her house. She had no desire what so ever to walk through the door. She wasn't seeing eye to eye with her mom at the current moment, and she honestly didn't feel like getting into another shouting match with her, "Sharpay I know this might be asking a little much but…do…do you think I can stay at your place tonight?" she asked apprehensively. _

"_Sure, we have plenty of space" said Sharpay starting her car, "You mind me asking why you don't want to stay home?" asked Sharpay._

"_Me and mom aren't really getting along" she said quietly, "You know this is suppose to be the best day of my life, graduation and all, but I just feel so miserable"._

"_It's understandable" said Sharpay, "I feel so lost right now without Zeke" she said chocking up. Sharpay quickly recovered as she turned down the street onto the main road to get to her house._

"_I just can't believe her" said Gabriella quietly._

"_Who your mom?" questioned Sharpay._

"_No…Taylor. I wrote her this really long letter. I put my whole heart into it…you know. Everything...just out in the open for her to know, read and feel. I told her that I told my mom that I was gay…and that…that I was pregnant, and that Troy was the father" said Gabriella barely above a whisper._

_Sharpay slammed on her brakes in the middle of the road and looked at Gabriella with the most dramatic shocked face she had ever seen. Gabriella smiled slightly at Sharpay's expression, "You…are…pregnant…with Troy's baby!" screamed out Sharpay._

"_Yeah, it happened the last time we were together, Troy and I that is. Troy doesn't even know yet. When all that drama was going on with the three of us at school, I found out that I was expecting. When I found out I immediately wrote Taylor a letter, telling her everything, telling her how much I loved her, and that we could raise our kids together, because I knew in my heart of hearts, that Zeke wasn't the father of her baby as they are both claiming" said Gabriella a little rushed, "I just knew that we could make it work if she gave me another chance, but…but she didn't even bother to read the letter…she just blew me off, like I meant nothing to her" said Gabriella angrily. She began to sob again as the realization of how alone she was and felt came to fruition. _

_Sharpay looked at the broken girl in front of her, she didn't realize how much Taylor had hurt Gabriella, and to be honest she kinda blamed Taylor for Zeke leaving her. "Don't worry about a thing Montez…everything will work out for you, because I'm here and I'm gonna help, no strings attached" said Sharpay heading back up the road again. "Th…thanks, but why?" questioned Gabriella._

"_Because nobody deserves to get there heart broken the way you have, especially by two different people. I'll help you as long as you want my help" said Sharpay seriously._

"_She's hurting too…I just know she is" said Gabriella quietly._

That was a little over two years ago thought Sharpay as she drove into the driveway of Gabriella's town home. Sharpay had bought Gabriella the home, furnishings, clothing for her and the baby, and a new car to boot. All Sharpay asked was that Gabriella would take care of her and Troy's baby, her godson now, with all the love and tenderness she could provide. School and everything else would take care of it's self later, but Jackson was important now. Sharpay knew she felt so strongly about Gabriella and Jackson because of the mistake she made with Zeke. She promised herself that if she were ever blessed enough to find herself pregnant again she would do everything in her power to make things right with her and Zeke. For now she lived vicariously through Gabriella.

Sharpay parked her car as she saw Gabriella in the corner of the porch making out with what seemed like her newest lady friend. She knew to wait in the car until Gabriella had let the chick go. She had to admit to herself even though she wasn't gay, Gabriella could pull some girls, and most of them came straight from U of A. Gabriella would go to Troy's game and secretly flirt with these girls as if it were a science test she knew she could ace a hundred times over. Sharpay got out of her Saab, once Gabriella's new conquest pulled away from her, realizing they had an audience.

"Morning Montez, judging by the look of things it looks like you had a nice evening" smiled Sharpay. She knew how to get under Gabriella's skin easily, simply mess with her one night stand, the morning after.

"Sharpay…what are you doing here so early?" questioned Gabriella in a warning tone.

"You don't remember love" started Sharpay swinging her purse over her shoulder, "_we _are suppose to be planning our trip" she said pointing her finger between the two of them while she gave Gabriella's miscellaneous girl a knowing look.

"Trip" said Gabriella's date questioningly, "You haven't said anything about a trip…I thought we were going to spend some time together".

"We haven't known one another that long…besides I was going to tell you, just not right now" said Gabriella looking annoyed. She didn't know if it was her date or Sharpay getting under her skin; it probably was a combination of both.

"That's a shame really" said Sharpay shaking her head, "because we've known about this for sometime, and _we're_leaving this weekend. But like Gaby said, miscellaneous girls really don't need to know the intricate details of their one night stands life-now do they" smiled Sharpay in a totally sickening way.

"Sharpay!" said Gabriella strongly, but it was too late. Her date had spun around and was making her way to her car, "Do me a favor and lose my number!" she shouted behind her as she slammed her car door. Sharpay watched as the angry girl drove down the street before she burst into a fit of giggles.

"It's not funny!" shouted Gabriella making her way into the house, leaving the door open so Sharpay could walk in.

"Oh c'mon Gaby, you know you didn't like that girl. You were just with her to get laid" laughed Sharpay, closing the door behind her.

"Yeah I know! She was one of the better one's I've had and you've screwed it up…as usual" said Gabriella from the kitchen.

Sharpay continued to snicker as she sat on the couch, "You got to admit, it was hilarious…and judging by things your standards have dropped slightly" stated Sharpay flatly.

Gabriella walked into the living room and sat next to her best friend. "Yeah well, everyone can't keep pinning over their high school lover" said Gabriella smartly.

Sharpay clicked her tongue, "He's my life partner, thank you very much…and correct me if I'm wrong but you can't continue to sleep with different girls just to get the image of one girl out of your mind and heart" said Sharpay, "and don't even try to come back with a retort because you know I'm speaking truth right now" said Sharpay quietly. "The reason I asked you to go on this trip is to finally resolve something between you and the person who shall not be named".

"Than why does Jackson have to go, he can stay here with Troy?" questioned Gabriella.

"Because Jackson should know that he has a brother, it'll be good for him, cause Lord knows you'll never provide him with another sibling. And maybe it will force Taylor to stop being a witch and come clean to Troy" said Sharpay.

"Yeah…maybe" said Gabriella quietly.

The two sat in silence thinking about their upcoming trip, "Speaking of Jackson where is my baby?" said Sharpay.

"He's with his dad. Troy gave me the week off…which I needed desperately" said Gabriella.

"Um…when will they return" asked Sharpay nonchalantly as she played with her hair.

"Sometime today I assume. Troy called me last night, all excited, talking about he had really good news. I could care less though…he just needs to make sure he's there for Jackson" said Gabriella, getting up off the couch.

"Where are you going chica?" asked Sharpay.

"Upstairs to get cleaned up, I have to finish packing Jackson's things if we're leaving on Friday" said Gabriella walking up the steps.

"Alright, well I will be online down here" said Sharpay as she got up to go into the tiny office that was ajacent to the kitchen.

"Cool" said Gabriella as she continued upstairs. Sharpay settled down into the office, she looked at her favorite picture of Jackson, Gabriella, and herself at one of Troy's recent games. She and Troy had become cordial only because of Jackson, Troy was forever grateful of Sharpay for helping out Gabriella so much. She knew Troy was over Gabriella and the only reason the three of them had any contact was because of Jackson…but she also knew that he wanted to be a good dad to his son. So they all made sacrifices to get along for the sake of the little person.

To be honest Sharpay knew that Troy was irreversably in love with Taylor, his whole approach on life told her that. He worked extremely hard at basketball, of course to hopefully one day get drafted, so he can provide properly for Jackson, but it was mainly because he realized how much of an ass he was to both Gabriella and Taylor. But mainly Taylor, he hoped that by doing well in school and being successful he could possibly win Taylor back. The only reason Sharpay had any knowledge of any of this stuff was because Troy got stupid drunk one night and let it all spill out to her at one of her parties. Ever since than she and Gabriella had been trying to drop hints to get Troy to realize that Tristan was actually his, especially when Zeke finally sent her the pictures of Tristan. The little boy was beyond gorgeous. He was a perfect mix of Troy and Taylor, but Lord knows he had Troy's eye's and that was the dead give away of who actually fathered Tristan. She tried to show Troy the pictures but he turned his back immediately and walked away saying he wasn't ready to deal with Taylor or her son.

Just then Sharpay heard the door open and the sound of little feet, followed by bigger ones. Sharpay got up to greet her godson and his father, "Auntie Shar!" screamed out Jackson as he ran straight into her arms.

"How is my beautiful godson" squealed Sharpay as she gathered him up into a huge hug.

"Good" he said smiling at her.

"Hey Sharpay" said Troy quietly, "Gabriella around" he asked.

"Uh…yeah she's upstairs getting cleaned up. She should be down soon, I heard you have some big news for everyone" she said.

Troy smiled in a toothy grin, "Yeah I do…but I'm gonna wait for her to come down" said Troy.

"Alrighty then" said Sharpay sitting down on the love seat with her godson, "How was your week with daddy?" asked Sharpay talking to Jackson. She continued to talk with her godson until Gabriella came down the steps, and Jackson ran out of Sharpay's lap to go greet his mother, "Mommy!" screamed out the little toddler.

"Hey baby" she said picking up her son and kissing him all over, "I've missed you" she said in between her kisses. Gabriella continued to kiss her son up as he giggled away with laughter, Troy smiled looking at his son and his mother. He loved his son so much, and he would do anything for him. Jackson was definitely a blessing in his life, and he know that Jackson was and is the reason for him turning his whole life around. "Hey Gaby…I've got some news" said Troy, interrupting the mother and son.

"Yeah you called me last night in the middle of my date to tell me" said Gabriella smartly.

"I know but it's huge" he said grinning at both the ladies.

"Okay so spill it Bolton, instead of grinning like a sneaky cat" said Sharpay.

He stood up and started to walk around, "There is a 95% chance I'm gonna get drafted into the league" said Troy grinning.

"What?!" said Sharpay, "Troy that's not news…you're the top prospect" said Sharpay uninterestingly.

"Yes that's true…" said Troy slightly annoyed, "but as the top rookie, with the posiblility of going number one in the draft, I can kinda make references to what team I want to go to" said Troy.

"And what team is that?" asked Gabriella setting her son down on the couch.

"The Washington Wizards, I wanna go to D.C." said Troy grinning uncontrollably. Gabriella understood immediately and her face almost dropped, this definitely wasn't good news for her. Her face didn't go unnoticed by Troy.

"And why is that good news?" asked Sharpay totally clueless.

"Because silly lady" said Troy smartly, "it's in Maryland" he said grinning again. "And who are the people that all three of us know that lives in Maryland" said Troy.

"Awww" said Sharpay out loud once she finally realized why he was so excited. "So you finally already to deal with McKessie".

"Yeah…I've been ready for sometime, I owe her an huge apology, and I can finally tell her how I feel" said Troy excidently. Sharpay glanced over at Gabriella because she knew that Gaby still hadn't quite let go of the hope that her and Taylor would get back together…she saw the strain on her face. She wanted to be happy for Troy, but she also wanted something that she couldn't have.

"Gabriella I know how you feel about her…I…I" started Troy but Gabriella held her hand up to silence him. "Troy you have every right to go after her, she doesn't want me, she told me so herself. If I can't have her and make her happy, than maybe it is right for you to try. I mean I was going on the trip to try and see if anything is left, but I know it's not" said Gabriella shaking her head, "besides she has never seen Jackson, I don't think she knows he exists. And I'm going to go and see her little boy…it'll be a trip shared by two lovers only" she said looking at Sharpay, "not four".

"So would you mind if I tagged along" asked Troy a little hesitant, "I've got a meeting with the coach and the president of the Wizards the same weekend you guys are going" said Troy.

"Sure" said Sharpay strongly, "It's about time you handled this Bolton, trust me it's not gonna be all peaches and cream once you get there. All three of you have got to put everything in the open and let the chips fall where they may" said Sharpay looking between the two former lovers.

"That's what I'm afraid of" said Gabriella quietly.

"Yeah me too, but it's time I deal" said Troy.

"Daddy you come with us" asked Jackson innoncently, looking up at his father.

"Yeah JT daddy's gonna come with you" he said smiling down at his son.

"This is gonna be crazy…I better email Zeke and tell him to get prepared" said Sharpay walking towards the office.

"Sharpay tell him not to tell Taylor please, I know her, if she knows the both of us are coming she'll leave" said Troy.

"How do you know that?" asked Gabriella.

"I do know, I just do. She left the first time to get away from the drama and both of us…what do you think she'll do if she knew that both of us where heading to the place she ran away to" asked Troy.

"Yeah I guess you're right" said Gabriella.

"So remind Zeke not to tell Taylor about Troy coming…got it. Alright guys we have a lot of stuff ahead of us, better get started" said Sharpay squealing, "Only three more days before I'm with my Zekey poo" she said running into the office.


	9. Chapter 9

_Thank You for the reviews! The story is moving along, slowly but surely. I might end up making this into a sequel, so stay tuned. Here we go!_

**Final Truths**

Troy sat in his oversized leather seat, in the private plane Sharpay 'borrowed' from her parents. They were on their way to D.C., where they would be dropped off. He would make his way over to the Wizards arena, while Sharpay, Gaby, and Jackson would be transferred to a private car and driven to Zeke's and Taylor's place, which happened to be in some county known as Howard County.

Troy looked at Gabriella holding their son close to her chest. Jackson was knocked out, with his mouth hanging slightly open as Gabriella rubbed his hair softly. She looked at Jackson with such admiration and adoration that it tugged at Troy's heart. Troy remembered when Gabriella use to look at him that way before everything changed…mainly his heart, and her heart too. He never understood how they both fell for the same girl, but Taylor had captured his heart unexpectedly and he treated her like dirt. The one thing he always regretted was the way he dismissed her towards the end of their senior year, if that was one thing he could change in his life…the way he handled that whole situation would be it.

He glanced over at Sharpay who was directly in front of him, she was curled up in a little ball, looking out of the window. She had a distant look to her eyes, mixed with what he knew to be nervousness. Things didn't end all that well between her and Zeke either, but he never knew the reason. Hell he didn't even find out that those two had been dating their entire high school career, until Gaby told him she was pregnant with his baby and explained that she would be staying with Sharpay and not her mother. He knew something big happened between them, he just didn't know what and neither Gaby nor Sharpay was sharing.

But he could identify with the look she had right than, because that was how he felt. The meeting with the Wizards really wasn't on his radar…his meeting with Taylor was though. There was a nervous excitement in him, he just wanted to see Taylor and look into her beautiful almond shaped eyes. He wanted to hold her body against his, and feel her curves, he wanted to kiss her full lips and be lost in complete ecstasy, if she could ever find it in her heart to forgive him. So what she had a baby with Zeke, he had a baby with Gabriella…right. And besides, it's obvious nothing is going on between Zeke and Taylor anymore, because Sharpay wouldn't be on this plane at the moment.

"Troy are you okay?" questioned Gabriella quietly, which brought Sharpay out of her haze.

"Yeah, just thinking…I've got a lot riding on this trip" responded Troy quietly.

Sharpay raised her eyebrow and turned back to the window, while Gabriella shook her head in understanding.

She knew what Troy was putting on this trip. At one point she had the hope that she and Taylor would make amends and get back together, but she realized she was just kidding herself. Taylor made it clear that there wasn't a future for the both of them together…her only hope now is to actually get their friendship back, which she can honestly say she missed more than anything. Don't get it twisted, Sharpay was definitely her God send, but she still missed Taylor more than words could say…she even gave her son Taylor's name. If Taylor could just forgive her for whatever she did wrong, than they could go back to being friends…it wouldn't be enough but her life would definitely be better.

"Can I hold him?" asked Troy quietly looking at Gabriella.

"Of course Troy…you don't have to ask" she said quietly. Troy walked over and picked up his baby boy, to which Jackson whimpered slightly at the interruption of his nap, but Troy rubbed his back soothingly as he made his way back to his seat and sat down and comfortably adjusted his son. He kissed the top of his forehead and whispered his undying love to him. Troy gazed up at Sharpay, and he could have sworn he seen a hint of jealousy behind her big brown eyes, but just as quickly as he saw it, it disappeared.

Troy was forever thankful for Jackson, his son changed his life and he knew it. If it wasn't for Jackson, he would have never realized the important things that mattered in life…and it definitely wasn't his pride. His son made him humble himself to Gabriella, but also made him realize what a jerk he had been to Taylor. "I promise I will make this right for us buddy" he whispered to his son. If it was the last thing he would do, he was gonna win Taylor back.

The plane landed in D.C. on time, and Troy said his goodbyes to Gabriella, Sharpay and Jackson. "Alright guys, I will be in later on tonight after the series of meetings" said Troy.

"Yeah we know Troy, Zeke hasn't told Taylor, so she will be surprised…which I still think isn't the best idea" said Sharpay in her know it all way.

"Well its better she is surprised than not be there at all" said Troy a little annoyed, picking up his bag, "I'll call when I'm on my way if I have time" he said.

"You still have the address…right?" asked Gabriella.

Troy checked his back pocket, "Yeah I have everything" he said quietly.

He bent down and gave his son a kiss. "Good luck to both of you" he said looking at both Sharpay and Gabriella. Sharpay gave a smirk while Gabriella nodded her head. Troy turned around to leave and waved goodbye to Jackson, "Bye daddy" was his son's only reply. They watched until he made his way to other car Sharpay had rented for him.

"Alright guys, our car is loaded so let's get going" said Sharpay excitingly. Gabriella laughed at her best friend; she couldn't believe how excited she was to see Zeke.

Gabriella picked Jackson up and placed him in his car seat they bought along for the trip. The driver opened the door for Sharpay and Gabriella on the other side. Both ladies climbed in and buckled up, "Ms. Evans we should be to your destination in a little over an hour" said the driver smiling heavily.

"Thank you" she smiled giving him a hundred dollar tip. "Just get us there safely…will you".

"Sure thing Ms. Evans…sure thing" he smiled shutting the door. They heard him climb in the front and close the tinted window that was dividing the car, so they could have some privacy.

"Mommy, can I have some juice?" asked Jackson sweetly.

"How about some water…it's better for you" said Gabriella going through the bag she packed with goodies.

"Aww, Gaby give the boy some juice" said Sharpay looking at Gabriella with her puppy dog eyes.

"How about no…he's gonna be bouncing off the walls" said Gabriella.

"Mommy…juice please" whined Jackson.

"Look I'll watch him okay…I know you want to talk to…to Taylor" breathed Sharpay heavily, "give him some juice" she said quietly.

Gabriella sighed heavily and grabbed the juice out of her bag. She handed it to her son who drank it down heavily with a satisfied look on his face.

"You know you spoil him right" said Gabriella looking at Sharpay.

"Yeah I know" said Sharpay quietly looking at him. She loved her nephew so much; she would do almost anything for him. She hoped that she and Zeke could reconcile quickly so they could get started on making a family of their own…not right away, but soon enough.

"I don't think she's happy about me coming" said Gabriella quietly looking at her son.

"Why do you say that?" asked Sharpay.

"I'm not stupid…she doesn't want to see me. I guess Troy was right when he told you to tell Zeke, to not let it on that he was coming" said Gabriella quietly.

It was true, Zeke had told Sharpay that Taylor was really angry and upset about Gabriella coming, and the only reason she agreed because she knew that he wanted to see her. "Gabriella you're here now…stop worrying and just enjoy the ride. Whatever will be, will be" said Sharpay nonchalantly.

"Easy for you to say Sharpay…Zeke wants to see you" she said.

Sharpay clicked her teeth and looked out of the window. Gabriella knew that the conversation was over and she rubbed Jackson's hair and sat back and tried to enjoy the ride. Her stomach was in knots though, she was excited about the trip, but the closer they got to actually meeting Zeke and Taylor for the first time in years, the more her stomach would flip uncontrollably.

The rest of the ride to Gabriella's impending doom was quiet, besides the little talking from Jackson. Gabriella could tell he was slightly uncomfortable because he was out of his element. She rubbed his head soothingly so he could calm his little nerves. Before they knew it, they were pulling into the apartment complex where Zeke and Taylor lived. It was very luxurious, which Sharpay noticed immediately.

Each apartment building was surrounded by beautiful flowers and exotic looking plants. Each apartment had a huge patio, where you could see the decorative touch each tenant placed upon it. The walk way into the building was also adorned with flowers, it kind of made you feel like royalty walking up to the door, that was cleaned so well, you felt as though you could walk straight through it. Sharpay knew that the apartments were even better inside, and had to be completely spacious.

Gabriella helped Jackson get of his car seat as she placed him gently on the ground so he could hold her hand. She went to the trunk of the car, but Sharpay informed her that the driver would get their luggage and bring it to the apartment, and beckoned her to hurry up so she could make her reunion with Zeke. Gabriella walked solemnly up the walk way as her son held onto her hand for dear life. Sharpay ran all the way to the building and fled down the steps to the first floor. Once Gabriella reached the doorway she picked up Jackson, and placed him on her hip. She watched as Sharpay was jumping up and down in place, waiting for her so they could make their grand entrance together.

"Gaby it will be okay…I promise" said Sharpay looking into her eyes sincerely, "It's time for all of us to deal…no backing out. Cheer up Montez, your son is starting to notice your disposition" she said quietly.

Gabriella fought the tears away, and promised to lift her spirits up before entering. Sharpay knocked on the door and was moving around nervously waiting for someone to answer. Gabriella noticed that both of their breathing had increased, and she let out an audible gasp when she heard someone unlocking the door. _'This is it'_ thought Gabriella, _'it all has come to this'_.

Zeke opened the door, and a huge smile came upon his face. In one move he scooped Sharpay into a death grip hug, as she squealed with excitement. "Baby I've missed you so much" he kept saying over and over again. He was placing kisses all over her face and neck as he laughed with contentment that his baby was finally in his arms. Gabriella just stood to the side, holding Jackson as they had their reunion. Finally Sharpay grabbed his face and gave him the most passionate kiss she had seen in quite sometime, "I've missed you too Zeke" she said when they were done. She kept kissing him, until Gabriella cleared her throat, making the couple break apart.

"Gaby!" said Zeke bringing her into a big hug also, "How've you been?" he asked smiling down at her.

"I've been good Zeke" she said quietly.

"And this guy must be Jackson" said Zeke bending down to get a better look at him, "Wow Gaby, you must of just spit him out huh. He looks just like you…except for the eyes" he said quietly.

"Yeah…they're his dad's eyes" she said, "Say hi Jackson…he won't bite. That's your Uncle Zeke" said Gabriella bending down to talk to her son.

"Hi uncle Zeke" said Jackson innocently, he still was a little nervous.

"It's alright bud; you'll get use to me. C'mon in guys…Taylor is right inside" said Zeke excitingly. He held his hand out for Jackson, which the little boy grabbed immediately. Sharpay squealed again, it was really hard for her to contain her excitement. The foursome made their way into the apartment foyer, where Sharpay took off into the living room looking for Taylor and Tristan. She was determined to make the transition for everyone as smooth as possible.

Upon entering, Sharpay saw Taylor standing in the living room with her son in front of her, with her hands placed gingerly on his shoulders. If it were possible the young boy was even more beautiful in person. He looked up at Sharpay with those bright blue eyes and smiled; he broke from his mother and yelled out "Auntie Pay". He ran straight to Sharpay and hopped into her arms and gave her the biggest hug he could muster up, "Well hello Tristan…I'm so glad to finally meet you" said Sharpay hugging Tristan back.

Taylor's face stayed void of emotion as she watched the exchange happen between her son and one of her least favorite people.

"Now isn't that beautiful" said Zeke finally coming into the room with Gabriella and Jackson. Taylor's eyes immediately went to Gabriella's who looked as if she was trying to fight away tears, "Hey…Taylor" she said quietly.

"Hey Gaby" said Taylor finally breaking eye contact with her former lover. It was all in an instant, but she remembered every waking moment she had with Gabriella, and she felt her heart telling her to go and embrace her old friend, but something was keeping her rooted to the spot she was standing in. She looked down at the little person that was holding on to Zeke, who she finally noticed. It was no question that the baby was Gabriella's; the boy was a spitting image of her.

"Gaby…you had a baby?" said Taylor in a state of shock.

Gabriella shook her head in silence as the room became very tensed. "Why didn't you tell me?" questioned Taylor.

Gabriella chuckled slightly at the irony of the situation, "I asked Zeke not to say anything…I knew you wanted to be left alone" she said quietly.

Taylor raised her eyebrow in annoyance as she examined the little boy closer, _'There is something so familiar about him'_ she thought to herself. "Mommy who is that?" questioned Tristan breaking her out of her thoughts.

"Uh…this is Gabriella's son sweetie…his name is…" said Taylor looking at Gabriella.

"His name is Jackson…Jackson Taylor" said Gabriella looking at Taylor for her reaction. Taylor's mouth dropped open slightly as she glanced at Gabriella but immediately turned her eyes back to Jackson.

Sharpay looked at Zeke for help as she placed Tristan down because he was getting heavy. He gave her a look she knew all to well, which was to mind her business and let things take their course. "Oh…my…gosh!" said Taylor out loud. She rushed over to Jackson and looked him in the eyes, than she turned to Tristan and looked him in the eyes also, _'they're the exact same…oh my goodness'_.

"Oh my goodness" she said standing up and looking at Gabriella as if she had betrayed her, "Troy?" was the only word she could manage to get out.

Gabriella didn't respond, she just looked every where but at Taylor; she wasn't going to get the truth out of her so easily.

"Hey" said Zeke, breaking the tension in the room; "how about Auntie Sharpay and I take you boys out for some ice cream" he said talking to both Tristan and Jackson.

"Really!" said both of the little boys with big eyes. It was than that all the adults in the room realized how alike the two little ones were. "Yeah sure, and Auntie Sharpay will get sprinkles…if you are really good" said Sharpay smiling down at the two. Zeke grabbed Jackson's hand, while Sharpay grabbed Tristan's, they made their way out of the apartment without any objections, but Zeke saw Taylor's face before they walked into the foyer, and she was shooting daggers at him. He knew that they would be having a blow up sooner or later.

The two former lovers remained quiet until they heard the door close, "This is really a nice place you have" said Gabriella trying her best to break the tension that was slowly building. Taylor remained quiet, she was in total shock by the events that were taking place and her visitors haven't even been there twenty minutes. _'I can't believe she had a baby with Troy…I just can't believe it'_ she kept thinking over and over again.

"You know Tay you would lose in the hospitality Olympics…aren't you gonna offer me a seat or something to drink" said Gabriella smiling slightly, while she sat down on the oversized couch.

"Just stop it…okay" said Taylor angrily.

"Stop what?" said Gabriella determined to keep her cool.

"Why…I…I don't even know where to begin. Why are you even here? Is it to disturb the little bit of peace I've finally manage to get?" said Taylor looking down at Gabriella angrily.

Gabriella stared at Taylor incredulously, "Taylor you really need to get over yourself, everything doesn't always revolve around you" said Gabriella surprisingly quiet. "Maybe I came because I miss my best friend…who hasn't said two words to me for over two years".

"It goes both ways Gabriella…it goes both ways. And you didn't have a problem keeping your son a secret from me, or should I say Troy's son…better yet Tristan's brother" said Taylor angrily.

"Oh you have some nerve Taylor! I guess I've been doing the same thing you have!" yelled Gabriella.

"And what's that?!" yelled back Taylor.

"Oh let me see…does Troy even know about Tristan being his, because from my knowledge he's under the misconception that Zeke is still Tristan's father!" said Gabriella breathing hard. She knew what she said would get to Taylor but she was tired of playing the bad person, as if everything was her fault.

Taylor just stared at Gabriella in disgust, "That is none…and I mean none of your business Gabriella" said Taylor through clenched teeth.

"That's where you're wrong Taylor" said Gabriella getting up, "it damn sure is my business. Whether you like it or not, our sons are related, which means there will always be some kind of connection between them…and inevitably us".

Taylor scoffed at her words, "Just because they are related, that does not mean I have to have a relationship with you…I thought I made that perfectly clear sometime ago" said Taylor squaring her eyes.

Gabriella blinked back the tears that were watering in her eyes, "Yes…you did" she said chocking up. "And for your information Taylor, I told you about Jackson."

"I don't remember having that conversation" said Taylor softening her voice. She knew she was being a total witch, but she told Zeke she couldn't handle this type of stress.

"You wouldn't" said Gabriella quietly, sitting back down and looking at the family portraits of Taylor with her son. He definitely had the best of both Troy and Taylor.

"What's that suppose to mean?" said Taylor exasperated.

"The letter…Tay" she said finally looking at Taylor.

"What letter Gabriella?" said Taylor looking thoroughly confused. She was trying her best to not blow up and be patient. She hadn't expected to get in an argument so quickly.

Gabriella shook her head in disappointment, "The letter I handed you in class before we graduated; the letter that told you about me being pregnant by Troy. I told you about my feelings, about how I told my mother about me being gay. I explained how we could be together and be happy and raise our babies together…as siblings. The letter where I wrote my heart and soul into it…and _you_ promised me that you would read it…but you never did…not even once" said Gabriella as a single tear fell down her face.

Taylor's face was in complete shock, as her mouth formed a perfect o. She remembered promising Gabriella that she would read the letter, but so much was going on in her life at that time, she just didn't have time for unnecessary drama as she saw it…and at that time Troy and Gabriella equaled unparalleled drama…like they do now.

"Gabriella…I'm truly sorry…it's just that I had a lot going on and you or Troy didn't make my radar of important things. My baby, and me starting over were the only things on my mind…I apologize for hurting you but you have to understand where I'm coming from" said Taylor as she watched tears run down Gabriella's face.

"I do understand Taylor…I really do. I was pregnant too you know" she said not looking at Taylor.

"Yeah I know now" said Taylor going over and sitting next Gabriella. "You never answered my question…why did you come?" asked Taylor sincerely, "If I hurt you so bad, why even be bothered with me?"

"Because I missed you" said Gabriella hunching her shoulders. "I missed you as my lover and more importantly my friend, but I just realized something that I've been trying to deny for so long" said Gabriella sadly.

"What's that?" asked Taylor inquisitively.

"That we can never really be friends" said Gabriella in tears again.

"Why?"

"I love you too much" said Gabriella nonchalantly. "You'll never love me the way that I want you to. I want to be lovers, and you just want to be friends, and I honestly can't do that. Constantly denying myself something that I want so bad, hoping that you would change your mind. I can't live like that Taylor; it's just best if I finally move on. I'm sorry if I disturbed your peace…that wasn't my intention. I knew I didn't have a shot, but I wanted to try any way".

Taylor didn't know how to respond, she was happy and sad at the same time. Happy that Gabriella finally got that they could never be lovers anymore, but sad because she was losing one of the best friendships she ever had. "Gabriella I think I should explain something to you that I've should have told you a while ago".

Gabriella looked at her curiously, urging her with her eyes to continue. Taylor took a deep breath and began, "Do you remember the first night we kissed?" asked Taylor.

"I never forgot it" said Gabriella barely above a whisper.

"Well that night…the reason I kissed you is because you were the first person Gabriella, to ever show me love…the type of love I wanted from a guy. You listened to me and you made me feel special. That's what I always wanted from Chad, but instead I got it from my best friend, and it felt great" she said grabbing Gabriella's hand. "The love making, the kissing, and when we just held one another…I cherished those moments, than you up and broke it off…and I was so hurt I ran straight to Troy. But than he was giving me the same things that you gave me, and I fell in love with him…and I realized than, that was all I wanted…to be loved" she said.

"But I did love you Tay…I never stopped" said Gabriella looking at her.

"I know Gaby…I know, but I needed the love from a man…and that's what I never got from Chad, but that's what Troy gave me, until he turned into a jerk" said Taylor quietly, "All the love you gave me Gaby, I never took for granted, but I pushed you away because I knew my heart belonged to Troy and when I found out I was pregnant with Tristan…it magnified. I knew I couldn't be with you, only pretending to give you the love you want…you deserve to be happy, and honestly you wouldn't have been happy with me…at all".

Gabriella squeezed Taylor's hand, and than let it go, "I know Tay…I guess that why it hurts so" she said quietly. She took a deep breath than chuckled slightly, "Unrequited love sucks" she said with a smirk.

"I can sympathize" said Taylor.

"Troy loves you Taylor…he never stopped, trust me" said Gabriella.

"How do you know?" questioned Taylor.

"I have his son…remember" said Gabriella glancing again at the family portrait hanging on the apartment wall.

They were quiet for sometime as each woman took in the changes that happened over the last couple of years.

"So…Jackson Taylor" said Taylor quietly smiling.

"Yeah, Jackson is…" began Gabriella.

"Troy's favorite boy name" finished Taylor.

"Well I guess you can figure were his middle name came from" she said with a smile, "Why didn't you name Tristan, Jackson, if you knew that was Troy's favorite?" laughed Gabriella.

"I never like the name Jackson, besides I'm keeping the T's together…ya know Troy, Taylor, and Tristan" smiled Taylor.

"What's his full name?" questioned Gabriella.

"Tristan Gabriel Ezekiel McKessie-Bolton" said Taylor quickly.

"Wow…that's a long one" said Gabriella smiling.

"Yeah I know each name for a person I love" said Taylor quietly. "Tristan really is for me…I always liked that better than Jackson or Troy" said Taylor rolling her eyes, "Gabriel for you" she said looking at Gabriella, "Ezekiel is self explanatory, and his last names are pretty much for Troy and me" she said quietly.

Gabriella smiled knowingly, even though the two hadn't talked in awhile, they pretty much had the same idea when it came to naming their sons, "You really should tell Troy about his son…it's not fair to him" said Gabriella seriously.

"I know it's not…I'm just not ready to deal with Troy at the moment, I was barely ready to deal with you" she said quietly.

"Well I think for the benefit of our children, we should leave ourselves out of the equation. Jackson has had the privilege of growing up with his dad…Tristan deserves the same Tay" said Gabriella not looking at her.

"I know that" said Taylor choking up, "I know he does".

There was an awkward silence between the two women; Gabriella remembered a time when they could sit in silence and be completely comfortable, "You know you asked me why I had come here" said Gabriella.

"Yeah" said Taylor.

"Well it was because I missed you, but I realized that it was the closure. I never thought we ended things properly all that time ago in your hotel room that night. Now I know that it is truly over, I'm not happy about it, but now I can move on and deal. I just wanted to say bye to my lover and friend" said Gabriella quietly.

"I still don't understand why we can't still be friends?" said Taylor.

"C'mon Taylor…eventually when you get yourself together, you're gonna move on to other guys…maybe even Troy. I can't handle that Tay…I can't handle trying to be your friend when all I really want is to be your lover. Like I said it's time for me to move on…but I think our sons deserve to be brothers and deserve the opportunity to know each other and I can put my personal needs away for that benefit alone…wouldn't you agree" said Gabriella.

Taylor just shook her head yes; all she wanted all along was for Gabriella to move on, but she didn't feel the relief she thought she would feel…more like sadness at the fact that she was losing her friend for good…and they both knew it.

"Do you regret any of it?" asked Gabriella.

"Sometimes I do" said Taylor, to Gabriella's disappointment. "I don't regret us…but I do regret the way everything went down…I can't apologize enough for my part in it".

"I understand, hopefully we can fully forgive each other one day…and more importantly ourselves" said Gabriella.

Just then they heard the door open, and the pitter patter of little feet running towards the living room. The two boys were screaming to the top of their lungs to their mothers, trying in their best toddler way to describe the wonderful treat they just had.

"Zeke you know you and Sharpay are going to be staying up with them…especially Jackson since he has had a double dose of sugar today" said Gabriella smiling warmly.

"Hey we can do it. Besides they seem to enjoy one another's company very well" said Sharpay smiling at the two young boys.

"Mommy…Jackson my new friend" said Tristan to his mother.

"Is that right? Did you ask Jackson could you guys be friends?" asked Taylor smiling.

"Yeah…he say yes" said Tristan grinning from ear to ear.

"And Jackson did you ask Tristan if you could be friends?" asked Gabriella.

Jackson shook his head yes, "He my friend, mommy" said Jackson. Gabriella picked her son up and placed kisses all over him, "I love you my little prince".

"I love you too mommy" said Jackson accepting the kisses from her.

"So is everything cool" questioned Sharpay.

"Everything is good" said Taylor, "Hey bud it's past your sleepy time…I'm guessing you too Jackson".

"I not sleepy mommy" said Tristan poking his bottom lip out.

"Awww, Taylor let them stay up a little while…he's too cute" said Sharpay as Taylor could hear her heart literally breaking.

"Fine…but he's gonna get over on you a lot with that pout" said Taylor, "Zeke just got use to denying him his every wish" she laughed.

"It's true" said Zeke, "he use to get me all the time".

The little make shift family was getting acquainted with one another. The adults were looking at the two young brothers playing on the floor with Tristan's assortments of toys. Sharpay even jumped down into the trenches and played trucks and cars with the boys. They looked so different but still the same…their eyes are what drew anyone in, when you looked at either one of them. And when they stared at you together, your heart literally melted. Taylor had to remind Tristan not to be so rough with Jackson, being as though he was slightly bigger, being the older sibling and all. There was a knock on the door, disturbing the little play session in progress.

"Zeke are you expecting someone?" asked Taylor getting up to go get the door.

"Uh no…but I'll get it…you relax" said Zeke a little nervously. Taylor knew instantly that something was off.

Zeke got up and walked to the foyer to open the front door, as he expected Troy was there with a nervous smile on his face. The two former best friends didn't know how to react to one another, being as though the last time they saw each they were both throwing punches and speaking all types of unholy language to one another. Zeke just opened the door wider and stood aside, "Everyone's in the living room…it's straight ahead" he whispered.

Troy nodded his head and walked into the beautiful apartment. He could hear the murmur of voices and his stomach immediately felt like ten thousand butterflies were having a fiesta at his expense. He decided it was now or never, besides his love was waiting on the other side of the wall, and he had waited more than enough to finally get things right with Taylor.

Troy walked into the living room, and saw Taylor sitting next to Gabriella. They were speaking in low tones, and she didn't notice his presence…but his son did.

"Daddy!" he heard Jackson running towards him…but not only was Jackson running towards him screaming his name, but another little person was heading in his direction screaming the same thing, he heard someone gasp loudly, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the little boy. "Daddy…daddy…you here" he heard the little boy say. He looked down at his face and studied it a little better and knew instantly that the little tike belonged to Taylor, it was unmistakable, but so were his eyes…he was staring at his own eyes! He looked over at Jackson who was squeezing his left leg and looking up at him, in his adorable way…than he looked over to the unknown kid, who was looking at him the exact same way, "Daddy, daddy…you came…you came!" squealed Tristan in delight.

He looked up towards Taylor and Gabriella confused, he noticed that Taylor had stood up and was breathing extremely hard as tears were streaming down her face, "Tay" he questioned looking between the little boy and her, "What's going on here?" said Troy.

"Oh my gosh…I can't believe this! I can not believe this. Zeke…how could you!" she screamed. She didn't even give him a chance to respond before running to her room and slamming the door.


	10. Chapter 10

_**I know this story has been on hiatus for quite some time, but I hope you guys like the new chapter if there are any readers still out there. Let me know by leaving reviews. **_

_"Daddy!" he heard Jackson running towards him…but not only was Jackson running towards him screaming his name, but another little person was heading in his direction screaming the same thing, he heard someone gasp loudly, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the little boy. "Daddy…daddy…you here" he heard the little boy say. He looked down at his face and studied it a little better and knew instantly that the little tike belonged to Taylor, it was unmistakable, but so were his eyes…he was staring at his own eyes! He looked over at Jackson who was squeezing his left leg and looking up at him, in his adorable way…than he looked over to the unknown kid, who was looking at him the exact same way, "Daddy, daddy…you came…you came!" squealed Tristan in delight._

_He looked up towards Taylor and Gabriella confused, he noticed that Taylor had stood up and was breathing extremely hard as tears were streaming down her face, "Tay" he questioned looking between the little boy and her, "What's going on here?" said Troy._

_"Oh my gosh…I can't believe this! I can not believe this. Zeke…how could you!" she screamed. She didn't even give him a chance to respond before running to her room and slamming the door._

The door slamming made everyone in the living room jump. Tristan broke down immediately because he was scared. Troy instantly went into dad mode and picked the young toddler up off the ground and held him close to his chest and tried to soothe the young boy. He looked at Zeke with the "What heck is going on" face. Zeke just hunched his shoulders and replied "He's your kid Troy, he's always been yours".

Troy looked towards Gabriella for confirmation, and she shook her head slightly in response.

"She will explain everything in due time Troy. It feels like it's complicated but it's really not, all you need to know is that Tristan _is _yours" said Gabriella quietly. "His name is Tristan" said Troy quietly not really asking but just stating.

"Daddy" said Jackson innocently bringing Troy out of his private thoughts. He looked down at Jackson and assured him that everything would be alright even though he didn't quite feel that way himself.

Tristan was almost screaming because he was so upset, so Troy scooted over to the couch as Jackson was holding on to his pants. Troy scooped Jackson up once he sat down and adjusted both of his sons so now he was holding them both against his chest and he sighed heavily as he fought back tears that were threatening to come out of his eyes. _"How could I be so stupid?"_ he thought to himself. _"__How could I not know anything about __him?" _Gabriella walked over and sat next to Troy as she began rubbing her own son's back because he was starting to get a little upset himself.

Tristan wasn't quite screaming anymore but he was still visibly upset, "He never has seen Taylor like that" said Zeke quietly to no one in particular. Zeke's mind was racing a thousand miles a minute. How was he going to fix this mess? Maybe he should have stayed out of it and let it be like Taylor asked him. _"It's too late now, I just have to face the music and we all have to fix this mess"_ he thought to himself.

Tristan had calmed down considerably the more Troy comforted him and the more Tristan calmed down the more Taylor could be heard in her room crying.

Sharpay stood off to the side as she watched Gabriella and Troy interact with the two boys, it seemed so natural for the both of them and she couldn't help but to feel jealous, "Zeke" she said quietly, "could you show me where I will be staying, I think it's best if we leave them alone".

"Sure" replied Zeke quietly as he went to pick up her luggage and walked towards his room with Sharpay close behind. The closer he walked to his bedroom door the more he could hear Taylor and how much pain she was obviously in. Although he knew that this was for the benefit of everyone involved, his heart panged a little every time he heard her wail slightly. He opened his door and allowed Sharpay to walk in first before he walked in behind her and closed the door. He placed her luggage by his dresser and sat on the bed. Sharpay walked up to Zeke and began to give him a massage, "You know all this was for the best Zeke. Troy needed to know and it had to happen sooner or later".

"Yeah well knowing that doesn't ease my guilt…at all" he said standing up forcing Sharpay to stop her massage. "I have to go and talk to Taylor".

"What?" said Sharpay incredulously. "I'm almost certain she doesn't want to see you".

"I know she doesn't but I have to try anyway" he responded.

"Unbelievable…freakin unbelievable" said Sharpay clearly upset as she got up and pulled her luggage over to the bed.

"What is it Sharpay? I'm doing what I think is right okay" said Zeke a little irritated.

Sharpay shook her head in disbelief, "You know I was looking forward to this day, but it just dawned on me that I should have just stayed home in let this circus show happen without me". "I have no business being here, and it's obvious where you loyalties are…just go talk to Taylor, Zeke" she said exasperated.

"My loyalties…Sharpay what the hell are you going on about?" asked Zeke.

"It should be obvious to you Zeke" she said quietly, "I want you to stay here with me tonight" she said turning to face him as she fought of tears. "I want you to pick me first…over Taylor. She's a big girl, she will figure this out, but it doesn't have to involve you Zeke, not tonight. Please?" she asked pleadingly.

Zeke sighed heavily before he responded, "That's completely unfair of you to ask, not to mention incredibly selfish. It's because of me that all of this is going down".

"No it's not!" she shouted at him. Sharpay never raised her voice except for one time when they had arguments. He knew instantly that she was pissed. "They are the ones that choose this, not you! You don't owe her anything, you have been more than a good friend…just please stay with me" she said quieter as she walked over to Zeke and looked him in the eyes intensely.

Zeke looked into those big brown eyes and remembered why he loved this petite girl in front of him so much, but he also had a deep moral code that was engrained in him from the time he was a little person, "Sharpay, you know I love you" he started.

"Love is an action word Zeke…you show it to people. For once show it to me" she said quietly.

Zeke looked at her as if he didn't recognize the person in front of him, "Sharpay if I didn't love you, you think I would be able to be here right now, to be in the same place as you? Especially after everything we've been through…if that's not love, than I don't know what is" he said angrily.

Sharpay held her head down as tears started to crowd around the corner of her eyes, "Well I see I got my answer" she said as she turned and walked away back to her luggage. "Go follow your moral code" she said acidly.

Zeke felt guilt for always throwing the abortion in her face but it still was a sore spot for him, and he felt like she had no right to judge him. "Whatever" was his only reply as he walked out of the bedroom and closed the door harshly behind him. He heard Tristan start to whine again but Troy was right there letting his first born know that everything would be alright. He looked over at Taylor's door and he still recognized some weak crying on the other side of the door. He mustered up enough courage to walk over to the door and just walked in. He saw Taylor sitting on the side of the bed, leaned over with her face in her hands as her legs shook furiously. He closed the door behind him causing Taylor to look up. Her eyes were completely red as her face was stained with tears and fresh ones were falling down.

"Get out" was her only response, and Zeke was surprised but also fearful of how low her tone was. "Tay, I just came to explain and to apologize" started Zeke.

"I don't care! Get…out!" she said while her voice rose up a bit. She looked very un-Taylor like at that moment. Her hair was slightly disheveled and her face was swollen from all the crying she was doing.

"Okay I'm leaving Tay, I just wanted to say I'm sorry…I truly am sorry" said Zeke getting a little emotional himself. He realized how much he ended up hurting his best friend. "I should have listened to you when you said you weren't ready for this…I know now I was completely wrong for forcing this upon you. I hope one of these days you'll forgive me" said Zeke desperately, "but it had to be done".

"Whatever Zeke, just please go" cried out Taylor as she placed her face back into her hands.

Zeke stood rooted to the spot, purposely not moving until he could get Tay to do more than just cry. "C'mon Taylor, you have to say something to me other than get out" said Zeke finally. He realized that they were getting nowhere; she was just crying loudly to herself…tears coming down in a steady stream with no signs of letting up. Zeke knew that she was more hurt than upset and he knew he'd better try graveling some more in order to get back in her good graces.

"Taylor" began Zeke, "I know I should have told you about Troy coming, but Sharpay practically begged me not to. They knew if you found out about his arrival you would just leave and Troy didn't want that….he loves you Tay" said Zeke, "That's why he's here; he wanted to get back with you".

Taylor looked up at Zeke with her tear stained face in disbelief. She couldn't even find the words to even get half of what she felt and thinking out of her system.

"I know you don't believe me but it's the truth. Troy has changed and for the better, partly because of Jackson and partly because of you. He wanted to prove that he was a better man than the one he acted like when we were in high school" said Zeke quickly. She still didn't respond so he continued, "Look I know I suck for not telling you and you can stay angry at me as long as you want for it, but if Troy really was mad about not knowing about Tristan, he would have been in here screaming at the top of his lungs instead he's out there getting to know his son, with no complaints and you saw Tristan's reaction, he's just happy his daddy is here" said Zeke exasperated.

"That's just it" stuttered out Taylor finally, "you didn't give me the choice. You just decided what was best for Tristan without even consulting me" she said still crying but surprisingly quiet this time.

"I been told you how I felt about Tristan not knowing about Troy" said Zeke, "I'm not Tristan's father".

"And I told you I didn't want Tristan to know…I wasn't ready yet, but you forced it upon me…not only with Troy but Gabriella too" said Taylor. "Your intentions might have been honest and true but your execution sucks" said Taylor, "you didn't give me a chance to prepare myself" she said angrily but her voice didn't rise one bit. She was looking at Zeke with such intensity that it actually scared him a little; it was in that second that he realized their friendship would never be the same.

"You're constantly preaching to me about secrets and lies but you've kept so many from I don't even know if I can trust you anymore" she said.

Zeke looked at her incredulously, "You can't trust me!"

"That's how I feel Zeke. Tell me you didn't know about Gabriella's son…c'mon Zeke tell me". He turned away from her and glanced at her desk, "Yeah I thought so" she said, "You knew all along that Gabriella had a baby by Troy…that Tristan has a brother" she said standing up and throwing her hands in the air, "and you expect for me to trust you…I thought you were my friend".

"I am your friend Taylor; I've sacrificed a lot for you, practically my whole life. How dare you say something so cruel?" said Zeke angrily obviously hurt.

"But you kept something this big from me! How do you expect me to feel…what else do you want me to say?" she said as the tears continued to flow.

"Thank you…I want you to say thank you! You use to do that but I'm lucky if it even passes through your lips these days!" said Zeke. "I've given up a lot for you Taylor, my relationship with Sharpay and my parents…I've moved to another state! I have helped you raise your son…a little appreciation would be great sometime instead of this selfish 'woe is me' attitude you have developed as of late. Get a grip Taylor, get a grip and deal!" yelled Zeke as he abruptly turned and walked out her bedroom slamming the door in the process.

Zeke stomped into the living room where he noticed Troy was holding both toddlers who were fast asleep in his arms now as Gabriella sat next to him silently. Troy was rubbing their backs soothingly and rocking them back and forth as he started to sing the lullaby he remembered his mother singing to him when he was a youngster, seeing as though the noise was causing them to stir… "I'm sorry" said Zeke obviously still angry.

Zeke stood in place as he massaged his own temples, he decided it was best to give Sharpay sometime to get herself together so he walked over to the other couch and sat down. Troy and Gabriella gave him a sympathetic look as Zeke shook his head, "I feel a headache coming on".

"I would have one too, dealing with Sharpay and Taylor isn't easy" said Gabriella knowingly.

"So you heard huh?" asked Zeke.

"Walls are kinda thin dude" said Troy quietly. "Yeah they are" agreed Zeke.

"How about I show you guys where to put down the boys and get settled for the night?" asked Zeke trying to get his mind off of things. He managed to get into two arguments in a short amount of time.

"Sounds good to me, I'm exhausted both physically and mentally" said Gabriella. The other two men in the room grunted in agreement. "Gabriella can you help me set everything up? It looks like Troy has a handle on the boys" said Zeke. "Gaby I figured you could stay in Tristan's room with Jackson, I put a day bed in that's really comfortable for you and the boys can share a bed" said Zeke.

"Sure no problem, I'm not gonna be picky" responded Gabriella while standing up.

"Troy, I thought you wouldn't mind staying out here. The couch turns into a bed, and it's pretty comfortable" said Zeke looking over at Troy. Troy shook his head in agreement as he stood up and laid the sleeping toddlers on the couch to give his arms and legs some rest.

Troy heard Zeke tell Gabriella that they had plenty of pajamas in pull-ups for both boys to share as they walked away.

Troy stretched his body out and proceeded to look around at the family portraits of Zeke, Taylor, and Tristan. He couldn't help but feel slightly jealous that Zeke was there for his son and he wasn't. Grant it he had no clue that Tristan was even his, he always assumed that Zeke was the father of Taylor's baby, that's part of the reason it took so long for him to come and see Taylor. _'I guess Sharpay and Gabriella were trying to tell me, but I definitely wasn't trying to hear them'_ he thought.

He continued to study the pictures keeping his eyes mostly on Taylor and his son. Tristan was the perfect mixture of him and Taylor; at that moment he walked over to the couch and leaned his head down and kissed both of his prized possessions. All this was so much to take in, Troy sighed and was starting to regret the fact that he even came, but he looked down at Tristan and realized he made the right decision; he was just gonna have to suck it up and deal with whatever, _'It is what it is'_ he thought to himself.

He continued to look at his two beautiful boys sleeping when he heard a door opening and footsteps walk into the living room. He was so tired he thought it was Taylor and realized that it was Sharpay standing there with her jacket on.

"Everything alright?" asked Troy.

Sharpay sighed, "Yeah…I just need some air. I'm gonna go for a walk". She glanced over at the sleeping boys and felt tears come to her eyes, something that didn't go unnoticed by Troy.

"Sharpay its dark out and we're in an unfamiliar place…I will walk with you if you would like?" asked Troy quietly.

Sharpay shook her head no fiercely, "I wanna be left alone Troy. I'm a big girl…I'll be alright" she said finally tearing her eyes away from Tristan and Jackson.

"But Sharpay" Troy said starting to object but Sharpay put her hand up in the air to immediately silence him and walked away closing the door behind her. She had enough of guys for one evening. What she needed was time alone to think.

Zeke emerged from the bedroom with a questioning look on his face, "Did someone just leave?" he asked. Gabriella appeared right behind him, "Yeah I thought I heard the door close" she said.

"Yeah" sighed Troy, "It was Sharpay…she wanted to go for a walk" he said, "she wanted to be alone and objected to me accompanying her" added Troy once he saw the concerned looks of Gabriella and Zeke.

Zeke looked up to the sky and groaned. "I'm going after her" stated Gabriella as she headed for the door.

"Gaby!" said Zeke louder than he intended almost stirring the toddlers awake, "I'll go…it's me she's upset with" said Zeke as he grabbed his jacket off the coat hanger. He left the apartment saying nothing but with a determined look on his face.

Gabriella walked across the room and scooped up Jackson in her arms causing the little boy to whimper slightly. "Its way pass their bed time, we should get them tucked in" she said quietly as she walked into the bedroom. Troy lifted Tristan up from the couch and held his son slightly away from him as he studied his sleeping face. In that instant he knew he would do whatever was necessary to fix things with Taylor, no more time could be wasted away from his boy. He clutched Tristan to his chest and walked into the bedroom where Gabriella was in the process of changing Jackson's clothes and putting him down.

"I'm assuming his pajamas are in the drawer over there" said Gabriella quietly pointing to the small dresser that was placed inside the closet. Troy laid Tristan on the day bed and went and picked out a set of pajamas for his oldest son. He changed Tristan's diaper for good measure and took extra care in changing his son's clothes so he wouldn't wake him up. When he was finally done he scooped the young child up and headed towards the bed, where Gabriella was just staring at him.

"What?" said Troy slightly confused.

"Just…just don't forget about Jackson, now that you know about your son with Taylor. I mean try not to play favorites Troy…just don't forget him" said Gabriella quietly.

Troy looked aghast, "How…how could you ever think I would do something like that Gabriella?" he asked.

"Look Troy, I know the reason you're here…hell it's practically the same reason I'm here. I know what it's like to love Taylor, to hold her, to kiss her, to have her be yours…and now that know you have a son with the love of your life…I just don't want you to forget about Jackson is all" said Gabriella tearing up slightly.

Troy walked over and placed Tristan in the bed next to his brother. "Gabriella" he sighed, "I could never in a million years do something like that…they both came from me. They're my flesh and blood, I would never hurt Jackson in that way…never" said Troy turning to look at Gabriella. "You believe me don't you?" he asked.

Gabriella took a deep breath and searched Troy's eyes, "yeah…I believe you" she sighed out. "Troy I'm exhausted you mind leaving me alone so I can get changed and go to bed?" she asked quietly.

"Of course not" he said just as softly, while walking over and giving Gabriella a kiss on the forehead. Troy walked out the room and closed the door softly behind him. He looked to his right down the hall and stared at the door belonging to Taylor's bedroom. His mind was racing a mile a minute and his heart was breaking thinking about what she was going through behind those closed doors. He knew she was in a lot of pain…but he had questions and only she held the answers to them.

Troy walked in the living room and pulled out the couch bed. He saw some sheets, pillows, and a comforter on the dining room table and assumed they were his so he could set up the couch bed. He went to the hall bathroom changed clothes quickly and turned out the lights. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't fall asleep. He knew that any minute Zeke and Sharpay would be coming through the door. He tossed and turned until he finally kicked off the comforter and sat on the side of the bed. This had to be settled tonight…whether she was ready or not Troy had to talk to Taylor. Troy stood up and proceeded to walk towards Taylor's room.

Little did Troy know that Gabriella lay in the bed lamenting the loss of her relationship and ultimately her friendship with Taylor. In the back of her mind she knew coming here was a lost cause; she must enjoyed putting herself through miserable circumstances. But she had to see for sure. She definitely needed closure and even though it hurt, it was time for her to move on. She decided it was in everyone's best interest if she just focused on Jackson. The brothers deserved to know one another and become close, and she didn't have to be around Taylor for that; she only needed to be involved with Troy. Although letting Taylor go was going to be difficult, it was the right thing to do, but how do you let go of someone you love so much.

Taylor lay in bed clutching onto her pillow. The tears had finally stopped falling out of her eyes and she had finally calmed herself down. She heard her door open and she immediately sat up expecting Zeke again, but instead stood Troy right in front of her in the flesh. Her eyes widened and her breath became more noticeable. Right in front of her stood the father of her child, the guy she had fallen so hard for that it scared her and instead of dealing with it she choose to run. Now the she had to face the consequences of all her decisions because she felt them literally standing there in front of her face.

Troy closed the door behind him. "Tay" she heard him call out, but she couldn't find her voice to respond. Troy looked at Taylor and she seemed so afraid and broken and completely unsure of what to do so he decided to take the lead and he walked over to her and sat down gingerly on the bed. Taylor moved her body in an instant and clutched her knees against her chest, while placing her arms around them. Even though she was afraid she couldn't take her eyes off Troy. She realized she forgotten how beautiful he was to her and how so much of Troy was in Tristan.

An awkward silence filled the room as the unlikely couple sat trying to figure out what to do or say. As Taylor continued to stare at Troy she couldn't figure out for the life of her why he hadn't zapped out on her yet. The more she thought about it, the guiltier she felt, and the more she realized that Zeke had been right all along…as usual.

"I'm sorry" she whispered out finally breaking the silence.

Troy snapped his head up and finally looked Taylor in the eyes as tears started falling down her face. In that moment he literally felt his heart break as he cautiously lifted his hand and began to wipe the tears off her cheeks. "Oh Taylor…you have nothing to apologize for. This is entirely my fault" he said tenderly as his voice started to break slightly. Taylor closed her eyes at his touch and unknowingly pressed her head against his hand.

"I feel so guilty…everything isn't your entire fault Troy" she said through her tears.

"But I feel like it is" said Troy as his voice finally broke and tears started falling down his face. Taylor opened her eyes and looked into his piercing blue ones; she did what came naturally and began to wipe his tears from his face. As she did so, Troy instinctively placed small kisses on her hand.

Taylor let out a big sigh of relief, "Troy we're a mess" she said taking her hand from his face and wiping the rest of her tears away as Troy did the same.

"I definitely agree with that" he said in response. "Tay, how did we even get here and let things go this far?" he asked turning his body completely around to face her.

"I think it all started with dishonesty about how we truly felt" she said looking at him intently.

"Yeah" replied Troy while sighing.

Another wave of silence washed over them, until a thought hit Taylor, "For the life of me, I don't understand why you're not upset about Tristan?" she said with an eyebrow raised. "I mean I kept him away from you…your own son" said Taylor.

Troy thought for a minute before responded, "I sort of blame myself Taylor with the way I reacted to finding out about you and Gabriella. I was just so angry, and I pushed you away… to Zeke".

"Zeke and I never…" started Taylor.

"Yeah I know that now, but I was so angry back then I couldn't see anything but red. Why aren't you mad about Jackson? From what Gabriella and Sharpay told me, you didn't know anything about him" said Troy.

"Actually I am a little angry about not knowing about him…but not with you, mostly with Zeke" she said quietly. "His name is Jackson?" she asked.

"Yeah" said Troy smiling looking down slightly, his heart would swell every time he thought about Jackson. And now he already started having the same feeling when thinking about Tristan.

"Tristan is beautiful Tay, you and Zeke did a great job with him" Troy said quietly.

"Thanks…Jackson is beautiful also, from what I can remember about him…I kinda high tailed it out of there" said Taylor slightly embarrassed, while hanging her head.

"Yeah you did" said Troy smirking. Troy lifted Taylor's head up forcing her to look him directly in the eyes, "I'm very much still in love with you Taylor. I've changed and I hope one day you can forgive me for all of my foolishness. I want to be here for you and Tristan. I want my job back from Zeke if you allow me to have it" said Troy intensely. "I know we have a lot to talk about, but just allow me hope that this trip wasn't in vain".

Taylor glanced down as she thought about his words and declaration of love, "I love you too Troy. I love you so much it freaked me out and made me run. That love only magnified when I was pregnant with Tristan and that's when I finally realized it was real…my love for you was real" said Taylor quietly.

Lifting Taylor's face, Troy leaned over and placed a tender kiss on Taylor's lips. Taylor grabbed Troy's face and gently pulled him into her so she could deepen the kiss. The two continued their kissing until they had to come up for air.

"Your trip wasn't in vain Troy" said Taylor a little out of breath. Troy breathed a sigh a relief. For the first time in a long time he felt like things were going to work themselves out. Troy and Taylor sat up into the early hours of the morning. Honesty was the key for them to move on and they both laid everything out on the table; how they felt about Gabriella, what prompted the both of them to be dishonest in the first place, and Troy's future with the Washington Wizards.

By the time both of them had gotten everything out, it was almost five in the morning. Taylor found herself wrapped up in Troy's arms with her head lying on her chest. How she stayed without the form and feel of his body, she would never understand. They both feel into a comfortable slumber, knowing that the road ahead would be difficult, but that they could face it together with true honesty and love.


End file.
